Filmmaker SS Rajamouli took a break from his ‘Varanasi’ shoot to head to Frace to interact with fans and share new details about ‘Baahubali: The Eternal War Part 1’.The director, who won acclaim for his film ‘RRR’, attended a presentation at the 2026 Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France, and explained why the franchise is making the leap to animation after two successful films – ‘Baahubali’ and ‘Baahubali: The Conclusion’.
SS Rajamouli addresses fans at Annecy 2026
Speaking at the event, Rajamouli opened up about the expanding ‘Baahubali’ universe and its deep-rooted connection to Indian mythology, he said at the event, “‘Baahubali’ is significantly inspired by Indian mythology, all of you know that. Indian mythological stories are humongous, huge and unending. The characters are so vividly descriptive. I can’t find words to describe that. But in showing those mythology-inspired stories, we were severely limited by the constraints of filmmaking; we were not doing justice,” Rajamouli said.
SS Rajamouli on the idea behind ‘Baahubali: The Eternal War Part 1’
The director went on to share his ‘secret’ saying, “So, impossibly, what we chose to do was that the core characterisation, the code culture, remained deeply rooted in India, but we chose a visual language, which was universal. Wherever part of the audience sees the film, they can immediately connect to it.”Reflecting on the success of the original Baahubali films, he explained that the creative team expanded the franchise through comics and animated series, but felt they had yet to achieve the impact of the live-action films. That changed when director Ishan Shukla pitched an idea exploring ‘What happens if Amarendra Baahubali (after his death) goes into the 14 realms of Indian mythology?’
SS Rajamouli on making ‘Baahubali: The Eternal War Part 1’ an animated film
Calling it “exactly the kind of bump that we needed to continue with the Baahubali franchise in the original way that we intended,” Rajamouli added, “In India, unfortunately, animation is seen as a children’s [medium], not more than that. And we were thinking, like, how do we do it? Then the possibility came: why are we just looking at India as a market? We are going to make this for the world stage. We are going to make it in the best possible way.“He added that the team has assembled some of the industry’s top creative talent and animation studios to realise Shukla’s vision. “Whatever the great idea Ishan Shukla has come up with, we need to give it the best possible shape… and start making The Eternal War,” he said.
Japanese studio joins ‘The Eternal War Part 1’
As per Variety, Japan’s acclaimed animation studio Studio Khara, best known for the Evangelion franchise, has joined the upcoming animated feature ‘Baahubali: The Eternal War Part 1’ to produce a dedicated animated sequence for the film.The collaboration has been facilitated by Japanese production company SlowCurve, which will oversee planning and production coordination between the Japanese and international creative teams.
Prabhas returns as Baahubali
Returning to the world of Baahubali, Prabhas will reprise his role from the live-action films, lending his voice to Amarendra Baahubali. Ramya Krishnan also returns as the voice of Sivagami. Academy Award-winning composer M. M. Keeravani, who scored both RRR and the original Baahubali films, is composing the music for the animated feature.
‘Baahubali: The Eternal War Part 1’ plot details
Set in the wake of the cliffhanger ending of ‘Baahubali: The Beginning’, the film follows the betrayed and murdered prince Amarendra Baahubali into the afterlife, where he finds himself drawn into an ancient cosmic war between devas and asuras. Navigating 14 realms of existence, he forges an unlikely alliance and fights to restore balance to the cosmos.
SS Rajamouli meets fans
Post the event, SS Rajamouli was spotted taking a break outside the event. There, he was seen taking the time to greet his fans, sign autographs and even pose for selfies. In videos posted online, fans were seen walking up to the director and sharing their fondness for his work on films like ‘Baahubali’ and ‘RRR’.
