It is no secret that filmmaking is expensive. When SS Rajamouli’s Baahubali was released in 2015, it became one of the biggest blocubusters of that time. Starring Prabhas and Rana Daggubati in the lead, the first part of the film earned over Rs 600 crores at the box office, whereas its sequel collected over Rs 500 crores. However, do you know that Rs 400 crores were borrowed for making Baahubali?
Rana Daggubati revealed the same during a recent event when he talked about how filmmakers pay interests at very high rates while raising money for their movies. “Three-four years ago, where was money in the movies coming from? It was either their (filmmaker’s) house or their property that was pledged to bank, made on interest, and it comes back. We used to pay around 24-28 per cent interest. That’s the borrowing in films. For a film like Baahubali, a borrowing of Rs 300-400 crore at that interest,” he told India Today.
Rana further revealed that after Baahubali 1 was released, makers borrowed over Rs 180 crore at 24 per cent interest for over five and a half years. “Part 1 was a struggle. We spent twice over the highest collected film in Telugu. So no math ever made justification of what we borrowed, how we made it. It was 180 crore plus borrowed at 24 per cent interest over five-and-a-half years. We shot a little bit of Baahubali 2 as well, so if this film didn’t work, we didn’t know what will happen,” he added.
In May this year, SS Rajamouli also talked about Baahubali and explained that financial risks were too grave as the producers had invested a huge sum in the movie. “I thought if it is indeed a disaster as people are speaking, then the person who trusted me and journeyed with me for the past three years, would be going to a place from where he can’t get up again,” he said.
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