In a major boost for brand Baahubali, Arka Media Frameworks has teamed up with character entertainment company Graphic India to expand its blockbuster Baahubali:The Beginning, across all formats, including comic books, novels, animation and gaming.
While announcing the news on Wednesday, Graphic India co-founder Sharad Devarajan revealed that the transmedia expansion of Baahubali will begin with graphic novels, two of which are already in production. Also in the works is a larger, animated project titled Baahubali: The Lost Legends.
Baahubali, which is already one of Indian cinema’s biggest blockbusters, is set to establish itself even deeper with the Indian audience. “Extending the world of Baahubali beyond movies allows us to reach a larger audiences and that is really exciting for me,” the film’s director SS Rajamouli said in a statement.
“We are happy to be collaborating with Graphic India, who I believe have the best knowledge and experience in this space,” he added.
Rajamouli believes that Baahubali has a lot more to offer apart from the two-part film series that he is directing, and through comics and animation, fans can find out more about the characters of Baahubali, the hidden myths and secret stories.
“The epic storytelling and groundbreaking visuals that SS Rajamouli created have captivated millions of fans, including myself, and the future of Indian cinema shall now always be defined as ‘before Baahubali’ and ‘after Baahubali’,” said Graphic India CEO and co-founder Sharad Devarajan.
“I am so deeply honoured and humbled to work with, and learn from Rajamouli, Shobu and the Arka team as we bring their epic world into comics, animation and gaming,” he added.
Shooting for Baahubali: The Conclusion is underway and the film is expected to hit screens either at the end of 2016 or early 2017.
The makers of Baahubali
“Extending the world of Baahubali beyond movies allows us to reach a larger audiences and that is really exciting for me,” said director SS Rajamouli about his movie