The Baahubali films, which SS Rajamouli directed, were made by Shobu Yarlagadda and Prasad Devineni under the banner of Arka Media Works.
SS Rajamouli has made India proud by returning with numerous international honors for his masterpiece RRR, including an Oscar for Naatu Naatu’s original song. With his Baahubali film trilogy, he also altered the trajectory of Indian cinema, and now Manobala Vijaybalan, a columnist and author, is asserting that Rajamouli borrowed hundreds of crores to produce the Prabhas-starring films.
Shobu Yarlagadda, Prasad Devineni, and renowned producer K. Raghavendra Rao worked together to create Rajamouli’s movie under the auspices of Arka Media Works. As was already noted, both films gave it their all to bring the director’s vision to life on screen, so it’s no surprise that they broke all box office records and established new ones.
On Friday, Manobala Vijaybalan, a well-known novelist and commentator on Twitter, stated that SS Rajamouli had borrowed a significant sum of money at a high interest rate to finish his movie Baahubali. “SS Rajamouli took a loan of 400 cr at 24% interest for a period of five and a half years to complete #Baahubali,” read his tweet. It must have been sparked by Rana Daggubati, who plays Baahubali, mentioning the movie in his remarks on how, three to four years ago, producers invested money by taking out loans with exorbitant interest rates.
We used to pay between 24% and 28% interest, Rana remarked. The borrowing in films is like that. A loan of Rs. 300–400 crore at that interest for a movie like Baahubali. He claimed that, precisely like in Manobala’s tweet, the producers took out an Rs180 crore loan at a rate of 24% for a period of five and a half years.
However, the internet community was quick to refute Vijaybalan’s assertions that SS Rajamouli borrowed 400 crores to produce Baahubali. “First, he is director, and second, what if he has taken a loan?,” one internet user tweeted. Is this news in the movie business? None of the producers I know refuse loans unless they are multi-millionaires.
“Rajamouli was not the producer,” another user tweeted. Producer also declined to take out any loans.
One person wrote, “Brother verify the info twice before posting it on social media,” advising him to fact-check before sharing things like this.
One asking him to do a fact-check before sharing things like this wrote, “Brother verify the info twice before posting it on social media”
Followed by, “Nice joke anna”
“Why he will take loan for Baahubali He is not producer of it.”
“Then what were producers doing? Giving loans to director?”
“Is Rajamouli aware of this?”
“Don’t tweet while drinking”
The 2015 release of SS Rajamouli’s Baahubali: The Beginning, which was reportedly made on a budget of Rs 180 crores and made over Rs 500 crores at the box office, contrasted with the 2017 release of Baahubali: The Conclusion, which was reportedly made on a budget of Rs 250 crores and made close to over 1000 crores.
