Ishan Shukla has dipped his toes into the world of S.S. Rajamouli’s epic, Baahubali, with his feature-length animation offering in the form of Baahubali: The Eternal War- Part 1. Shukla’s animation portfolio, which includes an Academy Award nomination, makes him uniquely suited to handle one of India’s most popular franchises, especially when it is being brought to the big screen in such a radically different format.
The Eternal War is hardly the first foray for the franchise into animation. Arka Media Works’ 2017 offering, Baahubali: The Lost Legends, chronicled the early years of Amarendra Baahuballi and Bhallaladeva before the events depicted in the two live-action films. More recently, in 2024, Graphic India released Baahubali: Crown of Blood, which was another film that looked into the lives of the princes as they defended the kingdom from the machinations of the warlord, Raktdeva.
Baahubali: The Eternal War’s Director Has An Interesting Resume
Baahubali: The Eternal War will be the first foray of the franchise into feature-length animation, and the man behind the project definitely has the resume to back up the project at hand. In 2016, Shukla’s animated short, SCHIRKOA, qualified for the Academy Award, becoming the first Indian animated short film to do so. In 2023, the writer-director found himself working with Lucasfilm on the anthology series, Star Wars: Visions. The series focused on bringing together animators from around the world to craft unique Star Wars stories that are not necessarily canon, but explore interesting concepts in the world created by George Lucas.
The episode The Bandits of Golak was produced by 88 Pictures, an animation studio based in Mumbai. It was directed by Shukla and took inspiration from the Partition of India. Following this, Ishan Shukla would bring the idea to S.S. Rajamouli to expand the world of Baahubali into a stylised animated medium, the first glimpses of which have been compared to the likes of Netflix’s Arcane and Sony Animation’s Spider-Verse franchise.
As reported by Animation World Network, S.S. Rajamouli felt like Shukla’s pitch was a natural extension of the world he created. He said:
“When Ishan brought us the idea of expanding the Baahubali universe into a stylized animated epic, it clicked instantly. It feels like a seamless, organic extension of the world we built, one that will thrill long‑time fans and invite new audiences in. I am excited to bring these two films to the big screen.”
The film is billed as being presented by the director of The Beginning and The Conclusion, S.S. Rajamouli himself.
The creative teams that are going to be involved in this new duology are also counted among some of the most sought-after talent in the global animation industry. Arka Media Works has partners wth global juggernauts like Aniventure, Zaratan, and Alcyde to produce the film. The film is expected to be an international venture, with studios from the United Kingdom, Scotland, France, and India collaborating to animate the film.
The Film Picks Up After Amarendra Baahubali’s Death
The film is going to begin immediately after the betrayal of Katappa, the character who served as Amarendra Baahubali’s mentor in the first film, before taking up the standard of his son to depose Bhallaladeva. The teaser depicts Baahubali’s spirit being sucked into a war between devas and asuras. The film is set to follow the prince as he travels through fourteen lokas to rectify the wrongs that have upset the cosmic balance.
While previous entries in the franchise have been relatively grounded, in that while they feature characters with superhuman abilities, they are largely concerned with what happens with them in the material world, Baahubali: The Eternal War-Part 1 is going to dive into the world of gods, monsters, and asuras headfirst. Even the film’s teaser, which entirely takes place in the ruins of the city of Tripura in patal-loka, introduces an element of magic that was largely absent from the franchise so far.
The cosmic scale of the film, as hinted at by the teaser, is quite a departure from the political climate that was depicted in the live-action films. However, S.S. Rajamouli himself has mentioned multiple times that The Eternal War- Part 1 feels like a natural extension of the franchise, with the intention being that it would give returning fans something to be excited about, while also minting a new generation of enthusiasts.
Also check:- Best Self-Care Ideas for Mental Health
The Eternal War- Part 1 is a part of a blossoming trend in Indian Animation
Baahubali: The Eternal War- Part 1 has arrived at a time when attitudes towards the animation industry have been shifting in India. While there was a time when animation was usually relegated to being set dressing for live action films, or as a means to entice children in the holiday season, there has been a push to bring more meaningful stories into the medium, along with capital that was largely preserved for live action cinema.
As an entire demographic that was raised on foreign animation from Japan, China, and the USA entered the job market, and hence developed purchasing power, the hunger for animated films in the country has begun to give rise to a movement. Animated films have been receiving much praise in the country, with offerings from Japan being screened across multiple theatres in urban centres.
High-quality IPs such as Baahubali and the Mahavatar Cinematic Universe are exactly the kind of content that is going to allow the industry to not only survive, but thrive and bloom into an arm of Indian cinema that has so far been neglected by producers and consumers alike.
In the wake of the success of Mahavatar Narsimha and the hype that has already bubbled around The Eternal War- Part 1, it might be safe to say that a shift in the Indian cineamtic landscape, with more producers and studios feeling comfortable investing in animation, might be imminent.
Baahubali: The Eternal War-Part 1 is set to release in 2027. You can watch the teaser here:-
YouTube Channel: Baahubali Movie
Source: Animation World Network
https://www.awn.com/news/teaser-drops-baahubali-eternal-war-part-1-animated-feature
