Social media is rife with the news that Netflix has finally shelved ‘Bahubali: Before The Beginning‘, its ambitious prequel series to the blockbuster Baahubali film franchise. There’s also news that Netflix has consigned ₹150 crores it has already pumped into the series as bad investments. The news was first revealed on Twitter by Pinkvilla, after which several other entertainment handles posted copy cat tweets.
But the question is – how true is this news? Is it just hearsay, or is there some gravitas to the news?
A little bit of digging on our part gave us much needed information. The news is not absolutely true per se, nor can it be written off completely. As per credible sources in the media industry, ‘Bahubali: Before The Beginning’ is not completely shelved, but put on the back burner. Even The Times Of India, one of the most trusted media publications around, reported a few days ago that Netflix has put ‘Bahubali: Before The Beginning’ on hold for the time being. In fact, Netflix has even brought in new creative producers to handle the production of the series. Bombay Fables, the creators behind Netflix’s Serious Men and Decoupled, and Voot Select’s Asur 2, are the new creative team handling Bahubali: Before The Beginning.
Also, one of the biggest names on the project, Malayalam actress Nayanthara, is still a part of Bahubali: Before The Beginning. It is true that the streaming giant is not particularly happy with the work done on the series until now. But to say that Netflix has shelved the project completely is stretching the truth a bit.
To put it in perspective, let’s wait for an official announcement from the stakeholders – Netflix and the makers – before we can conclude that the project is indeed shelved. Anything is possible in the fickle world of entertainment. Time will perhaps be the best teller of the ‘facts’.