Baahubali was called 'Indian cinema's biggest disaster' on release day, reveals SS Rajamouli

Baahubali, the magnum opus that redefined the scale of Indian filmmaking and became a global phenomenon, was branded 'Indian cinema's biggest disaster' on its very release day, director SS Rajamouli has revealed. The film, he said, had a deficit of ₹70 crore on day one — a jaw-dropping figure that suggests distributors and exhibitors had written it off almost immediately after its opening.

Rajamouli's admission is remarkable given what Baahubali ultimately became: a franchise that shattered box-office records across India and earned widespread international acclaim. The revelation underscores the brutal economics of big-budget filmmaking, where opening-day collections against advance bookings and distribution costs can make or break a film's perception within hours.

The director did not elaborate on how the tide turned, but the film's eventual trajectory is well-documented — Baahubali grew into a cultural juggernaut, with its sequel Baahubali: The Conclusion breaking records across the country. The question 'Why did Kattappa kill Baahubali?' became one of the most discussed pop-culture moments in Indian entertainment history.

Rajamouli's candid disclosure adds a new layer to the Baahubali legend — that the film's greatness was not immediately obvious even to those in the business. For aspiring filmmakers and industry insiders alike, it is a sobering and inspiring reminder that initial numbers do not always tell the full story.