SS Rajamouli has re-released Baahubali: The Epic, a condensed 3-hour-43-minute version merging both parts of his iconic franchise. The re-release trims several songs and subplots to create a tighter, story-driven experience
Still from Baahubali
SS Rajamouli has re-released one of his most ambitious and successful films — the Baahubali franchise. The films were originally released in two parts in 2015 and 2017. Now, as the film completes 10 years, the makers have launched a combined version of both parts with a runtime of 3 hours and 45 minutes. However, the re-release, titled Baahubali: The Epic, does not feature the popular love song featuring Tamannaah Bhatia. Director Rajamouli has explained the reason behind deleting the scene.
SS Rajamouli on deleting scenes
In a chat with Prabhas and Rana Daggubati ahead of the release of Baahubali: The Epic, Rajamouli revealed that several scenes did not make it into the re-release version of the movie and shared why.
“By merging both parts and removing the rolling titles, the total duration would have been around five hours and 27 minutes. The current version, however, runs for three hours and 43 minutes. Major portions that were removed include Avanthika’s love story with Shivudu, and the songs Pacha Bottesina, Kanna Nidurinchara, and Irrukupo. Several sequences from the war episodes have also been trimmed,” Rajamouli said.
Talking about the thought behind it, he added, “Every scene in Baahubali carries emotional weight and narrative importance, but we wanted the new version to be purely story-driven. The first cut was about four hours and ten minutes long. We held a special screening for both cinema and non-cinema audiences from different backgrounds, took their feedback, and then reduced it to three hours and 43 minutes.”
Rajamouli said that the idea of merging both films into one story came to him around five years ago to “see if the story could be told as a single film.” The director said he tried to shorten the scenes to reduce the runtime, but that didn’t work.
When Tamannaah spoke about Baahubali’s impact
Tamannaah essayed the role of a warrior named Avanthika in the film, who also had a romantic angle with Prabhas’s character Shivudu. In an interview with Filmfare, she was asked about the impact of the Baahubali franchise on her. “Baahubali was a film that I learned the most from. We were shooting against a green screen, so we had to imagine a lot of things. I learned a lot about VFX and how it’s used to enhance a film. It gave me much more confidence to be experimental. From then on, I refrained from taking people’s opinions too seriously and started to trust my gut a lot more. It gave me great insight into my own personality.”
About Baahubali: The Epic
Baahubali: The Epic is described as a single-film version of the Baahubali saga, merging footage from both films with enhanced visuals, restored or unseen scenes, and selective edits. Excitement around the film is at an all-time high as audiences gear up to witness the magic of two blockbusters merged into one. The film is slated for theatrical release on October 31, 2025, across multiple premium formats including IMAX, 4DX, D-Box, Dolby Cinema, and EPIQ. It will release in Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, and Malayalam.
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