Bahubali turns 10 years old
When ‘Bahubali: The Beginning’ was released in 2015, the stakes were sky-high and expectations were also high. But what started with disaster talks in Telugu states soon developed into a cultural reset, a one that would shape the trajectory of Indian cinema for the next decade.
In short
- ‘Bahubali: The Beginning’ completed 10 years after its release in 2015
- The film was opened in Telugu for a negative word-mouth, which turned into a pan-India blockbuster
- This defined the scale in Indian cinema and continued the unmatched box-office record
On July 10, 2015, ‘Bahubali: The Beginning’ opened in theaters with large -scale expectations. Stunned by SS Rajamouli, ‘Bahubali’ was the franchise which made the “Pan-India” mainstream word and turned names like Rajamouli and Prabhas into a national icon.
As ‘Bahubali: The Beginning’ completed 10 years in 2025, a lot is being said about its success story. But those who do not remember that the film was actually opened for a lukewarm-even a negative-reaction from the audience, especially in the Telugu states. The Magnum Opus that would not only redefine Telugu cinema, but the entire Indian film industry began its journey with negative reactions from the audience.
At that time, its scale was unprecedented. A decade ago, Telugu cinema was highly above the traditional boundaries of Cinema, with a report of about Rs 180 crore. This was also a period when the OTT platforms were still emerging, and the dramatic business was everything. Much, everything was riding on ‘Bahubali’.
Nobody saw a rocky start
The film was released with immense expectation. SS Rajamouli, VFX Marvel came out of ‘Ega’ and reunited with Prabhas after his blockbuster ‘Chatrapati’. Such a large -scale period drama was not tried in Telugu cinema for a long time. Artists, posters, teasers and back visual videos, everything went viral and created unprecedented publicity around the project. As a release date, ticket queues were spread over two to three kilometers in Hyderabad and other parts of Telugu states. Everything was working in favor of the film. All this, especially for the team, had to see how the audience would react. But that response was, on 1 day, shocking negative.
In an interview, when asked about the most disappointing moment in his 22-year career, Rajamouli recalled, “That day ‘Bahubali: The Beginning’ was released, it was our first attempt in a Pan-India film. We were not the most in Telugu states, America, and UAE. Disaster, it became one of the most disadvantaged moments in the industry.”
Even prominent actor Prabhas felt silence. He said, “I usually tell my friends to wake me up on the date of release. Producer Shobu Yarlagadda said that he became” empty “twice, first when negative reactions came, and again when they started collecting.
A turnaround that re -writes the rule book
After this there was nothing less than a cinematic history. Especially in a Hindi-speaking belt, the word-mouth started transferring the story in areas. Audiences, ready for scales and storytelling, started returning to theaters in large numbers. Karan Johar, who distributed the Hindi version, later said, “Just like ‘Sholay’, the team will tell you how they felt that the film was a disaster. ‘Bahubali’ is ‘Shole’ of our time.”
In the states of Telugu, once family audience started coming, the film got its pace. It took time, but finally, ‘Bahubali: The Beginning’ arose to become a monumental success, which is remembered as today. Beyond its commercial success, the film also provoked an industry-wide conversation: How can Indian cinema speak everywhere, everywhere?
Here is a trailer for ‘Bahubali: The Beginning’:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soeg_yzqti
A legacy that shaped a generation of filmmakers
Is there not really ‘Bahubali’: The Binning’s success was not only a good versus evil, or the timeless tale of his big-life characters, it was a sheer belief to make something so grand from the ground. The film gave a generation of filmmakers in industries to think of great thinking, wide, and on an unrelated scale stories.
Ten years later, its cultural footprints are undisputed. Name, moment, record – all keep echoing. What started as a disappointment in his home ground is now remembered as the film that dared – and won. Still, trade circles refer to the box-office milestone as a “non-bahubali record”, which is a will for the benchmark and continues to inspire it.
