Latest news with #Kattappa
India Today
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
Kattappa, Baahubali and the pop culture storm Prabhas's iconic film created
It's been 10 years since 'Baahubali: The Beginning' hit the big screens - and let's be honest, Indian cinema hasn't been the same since. SS Rajamouli didn't just deliver a magnum opus; he dropped a cultural nuke. With Prabhas' demi-god screen presence, Anushka Shetty's fierce royalty, Rana Daggubati's menacing look, and that final epic twist that made everyone's jaw drop, the film created a cinematic multiverse of its own - one that extended far beyond the theatres and deep into our collective pop culture viral memes and mind-blowing fan theories to YouTube parodies and global reactions, 'Baahubali' rewrote the rules of film marketing, audience engagement, and how cliffhangers truly break the 'Baahubali: The Beginning' completed a decade on July 10, 2025, here's a look at the pop culture moments that still live rent-free in our OG question that haunted a generation: Why did Kattappa kill Baahubali? The mother of all cliffhangers. The final scene of 'Baahubali: The Beginning' ended with the royal loyalist Kattappa (played by Sathyaraj) stabbing Baahubali (Prabhas) in the back, moment the scene faded to black, India collectively screamed 'Whaaaat?!' and the Internet X threads to college debates, from meme pages to brand campaigns, the one question became the biggest national obsession. Even Amul jumped in with their trademark doodles, and brands like Netflix, Swiggy, and Zomato found clever ways to include 'Why did Kattappa' in their push notifications and social media.# #Baahubali Baahubali (@BaahubaliMovie) July 9, 2025Meme-ification of every frameNo one could've predicted that a period war epic would lend itself so well to meme culture. But 'Baahubali's' visuals, dialogues, and plot points were meme what happened after Sivudu lifted the Shivling? Instagram motivational pages and desi gym bros turned it into a hashtag for Monday Queen Sivagami breastfed while sitting on the throne, the Internet couldn't stop but praise the unwavering dedication and determination of Indian when Tamannaah Bhatia's Avantika took a stunning transformation from rebel to lover? Memers went, 'When you're fighting patriarchy, she has abs (sic)."The mix of intense grandeur and dramatic dialogues were just perfect for meme-makers to go ham. Facebook and WhatsApp were flooded with "Baahubali logic" jokes, and even Rajamouli's VFX-heavy war scenes weren't spared from hilarious a look at some of the memes here: Photo: X/Luv_Madz Photo: X/Luv_Madz Photo: X/Luv_Madz The Internet didn't just stop there. Fan theories deserved their own universe. Following the film's release back in 2015, it spawned fan theories that could rival the 'Game of Thrones' subreddit. Some of the most viral ones include:Kattappa is Baahubali's secret is under a magical the real villain is their touch of masala, YouTube channels and Reddit threads dove deep into decoding every symbol, crown, and sidelong glance. Some fans even went full conspiracy mode, linking historical events to fictional timelines. Basically, 'Baahubali' turned us all into desi parodies and spoofs that went viralWho remembers the BB Ki Vines version of 'Baahubali'? Or Shudh Desi Endings' animated parody that imagined Kattappa as a clumsy assassin who just tripped and killed Baahubali?Spoof artists had a field day. College fests were incomplete without someone doing a Kattappa stabbing scene re-enactment, usually ending in someone yelling 'plot twists'.From mashup songs like 'Baahubali X Dhoom' to dubbed comedy edits where Kattappa says, 'Mujhse galti ho gayi bhai,' the Internet ensured Baahubali didn't just stay a film - it became a fandom a spoof video here: 'Baahubali' wasn't just an Indian blockbuster - it went global. From Japanese fans cosplaying as Amarendra to OTT platforms picking up the franchise for an animated spin-off, the film crossed language and YouTubers reacted to the waterfall reveal scene with jaw-drops, and the fight sequence on flaming bulls had Hollywood VFX breakdowns. Even people who had never seen an Indian film were suddenly talking about 'this epic called Bah-hoo-ba-li.'It became a flex for Indian fans to introduce international friends to 'Baahubali', proudly watching their faces go from 'meh' to 'this is cinema' in 3.5 is a meme just because...: Photo: X/VivaciousVids Even politicians referenced 'Baahubali' to make points about loyalty and betrayal. Cricketers joked about being "Baahubali of batting" or doing a 'Kattappa' to their teammates. And Bollywood couldn't help but join Johar, who backed the Hindi version, milked the meme culture too, with Instagram Reels, cheeky captions, and public countdowns to 'Baahubali 2'. Ranveer Singh posted gym videos with the theme playing in the background, and celebs queued up to post 'Why Kattappa' jokes during the two-year gap between is no denying that ten years later, the film is still iconic. The echo of every dialogue from the magnum opus rings true. No other Indian film has managed to combine mythological storytelling with modern memeability quite like this.'Baahubali: The Beginning' wasn't just a film - it was an Internet event, a cultural turning point, and a nationwide group chat that still hasn't gone here's to ten years of Sivudu, Bhallaladeva, Devasena, Sivagami, Avantika, Kattappa, and the question that launched a thousand memes. And if you still don't know why Kattappa killed Baahubali well, that's between you and the internet.- Ends
NDTV
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- NDTV
10 Years Of Baahubali: SS Rajamouli's Magnum Opus To Re-Release In October
Remember when Katappa killed his beloved nephew, Baahubali, on the battlefield and sparked a nationwide debate on the possible reasons behind his action? Well, get ready to watch the exhilarating moment on the big screen once again, as Baahubali: The Epic is set to re-release in theatres on October 31, 2025. To announce the re-release, Baahubali's official handle shared a post on X. They dropped a poster featuring Prabhas in a double role as Amarendra and Mahendra Baahubali. '10 years ago, a question united the nation…Now the question and the answer return together in ONE grand epic. # BaahubaliTheEpic releases worldwide on October 31st, 2025,' read the text attached to the post. Have a look here: 10 years ago, a question united the nation… Now the question and the answer return together in ONE grand epic. #BaahubaliTheEpic releases worldwide on October 31st, 2025. #Celebrating10YearsOfBaahubali #DecadeofBaahubaliReign #Baahubali — Baahubali (@BaahubaliMovie) July 10, 2025 The announcement refers to the moment Kattappa killed his nephew Baahubali in an emotionally charged scene at the end of the first movie, leading fans to believe that he betrayed Baahubali. The film ended on a cliffhanger. Kattappa's action ignited a nationwide debate with fans sharing their thoughts on why he killed Baahubali. The mystery was finally solved 2 years later with the release of Baahubali: The Conclusion. It was revealed that Kattappa was manipulated by Bhallaladeva, who reminded him of a promise he had made to Bhallaladeva's mother, Sivagami. He had vowed to protect the throne and the king at all costs. Ultimately, Kattappa fulfilled his duty despite his loyalty to Baahubali. Baahubali: The Beginning emerged as a global success at the box office. It also won widespread critical acclaim on the national and international levels. The film won three National Awards and the Saturn Award for Best International Film at the 44th Saturn Awards. The sequel released on over 9,000 screens worldwide on April 28, 2017. It raked in over a whopping Rs 1800 crores worldwide, thereby becoming the highest-grossing Indian film at that time.
Indian Express
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
10 years of Prabhas' Baahubali: How SS Rajamouli made the entire country, even PM Narendra Modi, fixate on a million-dollar question
No matter whether you're a fan of the film or not, there's no denying that director SS Rajamouli's Baahubali: The Beginning, which turns 10 today (July 10), propelled Indian cinema to heights it had never imagined. Not only did it break box office records in Telugu and across India, but it also became a global talking point, shining an unprecedented spotlight on Indian cinema and paving the way for the even bigger success of its sequel, Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017). While many of its aspects, including the VFX, action choreography, production design, performances, music and cinematography, collectively contributed to Baahubali: The Beginning's phenomenal success, the one element that played the most crucial and towering role was its writing. V Vijayendra Prasad and son Rajamouli, who penned the story and screenplay respectively, not only managed to tick every box required for an epic actioner, but also succeeded in crafting one of the most iconic cliffhangers in Indian cinema, showing by example how to pull off a serialised franchise. Instead of forcing a sequel that they didn't ask for on the audience, Rajamouli made nearly everyone who watched the film yearn to know the answer to the million-dollar question: Why did Kattappa kill Baahubali? Despite the story positioning Karikala Kattappa Nadar (Sathyaraj), the commander of Mahishmati's armed forces, as Amarendra Baahubali's (Prabhas) mentor and confidant — Amarendra even calls him 'Mama' (uncle) — Baahubali: The Beginning ends with Kattappa telling Amarendra's estranged son Sivudu (also played by Prabhas) that he himself was the traitor who murdered the crown prince. 'Who? Who was it (that killed my father)?' Sivudu asks, to which a teary-eyed Kattappa replies, voice choked, 'That traitor was me'. As the audience reeled in shock, Rajamouli ended the film with a now-iconic shot, which looked almost like a painting, of Amarendra Baahubali being stabbed in the back. It's rare for every aspect of a movie to peak in the climax to deliver an experience so powerful, but Rajamouli pulled it off, leaving the question 'Why did Kattappa kill Baahubali?' reverberating across the country. In fact, the cliffhanger's impact was so deep that it even found a mention by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. During a 2017 election rally in Uttar Pradesh, he said, 'A film titled Baahubali had released some time back. Baahubalis look good in the film, and their bravura performance also looks good. But in the film, there was a character called Kattappa in the film, who destroyed Baahubali.' Since he didn't know the full context of the scene, Modi added that after the election results, the police baton would take care of the criminals 'like Kattappa did'. Although this climax underscored Rajamouli's mastery of the craft, Prabhas once revealed that the ending initially didn't sit well with Telugu audiences. 'In Telugu, on the first day, there was very bad talk (against the film). People had high expectations because it was Rajamouli and me. Then suddenly Kattappa comes and kills the hero. They didn't like it. It came as a shock. It felt like an abrupt cut as they'd never seen a film like that. They were worried. Till late afternoon and evening, there was very bad talk,' he said in an interview with Film Companion. But the Baahubali fever soon gripped the country, and the film eventually became the second highest-grossing Indian film worldwide at the time of its release. Also starring Anushka Shetty, Rana Daggubati, Ramya Krishnan, Tamannaah Bhatia and Nassar, the film featured cinematography by KK Senthil Kumar, visual effects by V Srinivas Mohan, editing by Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao and music by MM Keeravani. The impact of Baahubali has been such that it introduced the term 'pan-India' into the film vocabulary to describe commercial films that appeal to audiences across regions. After Baahubali, not just that filmmakers began designing mammoth projects, even films that could have been conceived on a smaller scale were inflated, assuming this was 'what the audience wanted'. Although sequels were nothing new in Indian cinema, after the Rajamouli directorial's global success, almost every project touted as 'pan-Indian' was envisioned as a franchise. But where many of these subsequent franchises faltered was that Rajamouli and Vijayendra Prasad genuinely had enough material to split Baahubali into two films in a way that felt organic. In contrast, all that the others did was blindly replicate the Baahubali formula by splitting their stories into multiple parts without having enough content for even a single feature-length film. In a way, it can be said that Rajamouli and the question 'Why did Kattappa kill Baahubali?' succeeded in making audiences wait eagerly for nearly two years to get closure, and ensuring that when it finally came, they felt it was completely worth it, thanks to the sequel's quality, something none of the copycats have managed to achieve since.
Hans India
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Hans India
Kattappa's Judgment Thriller Arrives June 13
Under the banner of Apollo Productions, producer Ravuri Venkata Swamy is bringing the Telugu version of the Tamil thriller 'Theerpugal Virkapadum', starring 'Baahubali' fame Sathyaraj in the lead role. Titled 'Kattappa Judgment' in Telugu, the film is all set to hit the screens on June 13. Sathyaraj, who played the iconic Kattappa in 'Baahubali', enjoys a strong emotional connection with Telugu audiences. His presence alone adds tremendous value to the film. The movie has completed its censor formalities and has been awarded a U/A certificate. The film features Madhusudhan Rao in a powerful antagonist role and is said to be packed with mass elements that will appeal to audiences across all categories. The storyline revolves around a suspenseful situation where Kattappa (Sathyaraj) delivers an unexpected judgment — a mystery that will unfold on the big screen. Directed by Dharan, the movie stars Smruthi Venkat, Sathyaraj, Harish Uthaman, Madhusudhan Rao, and Ravi Prasad in key roles.
Time of India
04-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Prabhas, SS Rajamouli's Baahubali franchise to hit theatres but with a twist. Check rerelease date of epic saga
Story of Baahubali Some stories never grow old, especially when they've become part of cinematic history. S.S. Rajamouli 's Baahubali saga is one such phenomenon. Years after its thunderous release, the iconic franchise that redefined Indian cinema is poised for a grand comeback to the big screen. This time, it's not just a re-release, it's a per reports in 123Telugu, the makers of Baahubali: The Beginning and Baahubali: The Conclusion are planning a unique cinematic event for fans across the globe. The two epic films, originally released separately, are being stitched together into a single feature, combining key sequences to tell the full tale in one epic sitting. The special re-release is expected to hit theatres worldwide this case you have never watched the films, you can now finally watch them and get the answer to Why did Kattappa kill Baahubali? Baahubali franchise is an Indian epic action film directed by S.S. Rajamouli and produced by Shobu Yarlagadda and Prasad Devineni under Arka Media Works. Shot simultaneously in Telugu and Tamil, the film stars Prabhas in a dual role, alongside Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty, Tamannaah Bhatia, Ramya Krishnan, Sathyaraj, and Nassar. The story follows Sivudu, a spirited young man who helps his love, Avantika, rescue Devasena, the former queen of Mahishmati, held captive by the tyrant Bhallaladeva. The narrative continues in Baahubali 2: The film's concept originated from a story by Rajamouli's father, V. Vijayendra Prasad, inspired by Amar Chitra Katha, Mahabharata, and Chandamama tales.
