[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he title Baahubali just came out from me..it wasn’t thought about, it was spontaneous. It has nothing to do with history, says script writer Vijayendra Prasad.

1) When did the idea of making Baahubali trigger?

Three years back my son Rajamouli came to me and said he is making a film with Prabhas and wanted me to write a story. He likes swords, horses and emotions and wanted a period story, he also said that  every character in the story should have a logical ending; a third dimension, they should be in flesh and blood and with grey shades.

2) How long did it take to develop it?

Next day I narrated the last scene in the first part of Bahubali. I could see the spark in his eyes, then the second scene was about a baby placed on a palm emerging from the waters. I could see the same spark in his eyes. The third scene was from the second part of Bahubali. It was totally unconnected, I knew he liked it and it took three months to develop it. The moment he started narrating it to others and discussing it, I knew he liked it. He usually doesn’t do that.

3) What was the necessity for a sequel?

There were too many scenes, the justice wasn’t being done to all so it was imperative that we make two parts. [pullquote position=”left”]If Bahubali, the hero in the story is important so are others, we can’t write them off…..may be in footage they could occupy small space but the importance is monumental.[/pullquote]

4) Why name it Bahubali?

The title Bahubali just came out from me..it wasn’t thought about, it was spontaneous. It has nothing to do with history. Then I got to know that in the North of India,  Bahubali meant a title, any great person is called Bahubali, nothing to do with Gomateswara.

5) What importance does Baahubali hold at the box office?

Narrating a story gives me complete happiness, getting money, being paid is just a bonus. I love my craft so much. I want the film to be a hit for two reasons. A producer has believed in a vision, if he doesn’t get his money back, it is not fair at all. This is a project that will take Indian cinema to the next level. The hero is Shobu Yarlagadda, there is always a smile on his face even as the budget kept escalating. Next hero is Ballary Sai, the distributor.

6) Any happy moments?

Of course yes. My son told me his ambition is to make Mahabharat. Bahubali is a big test to check if he has it in him to do it. Our country has rich heritage and culture, great history, this is Seva and nothing less than that if we make the epic. There was a poll recently in Tamil Nadu, Shankar got 170 votes and Rajamouli 180. The latter shows variety and the former deals with the wrong done to the society.

(Sunita Yalavarthi)