For cinematographer Mukesh G, Baahubali: Before The Beginning was never just another Netflix assignment. He spent around 18 months filming the ambitious prequel, completed two full seasons and shot portions of a third, only to see the project disappear when there were reportedly just 60 to 70 shooting days left. The scale of the loss became even harder to process because the production had already consumed around ₹97 crore from its planned ₹270 crore budget, according to Mukesh.
The cinematographer has now opened up about the experience and admitted that the cancellation affected him deeply. “I went into depression for about six months,” he told Variety India, describing a project that had gradually become one of the most important productions of his career. For Mukesh, the painful part was not only seeing months of footage go unused, but watching the production slowly unravel after the team had already invested so much time and effort.
“It didn’t get shelved overnight; it got shelved page by page, which I couldn’t digest,” Mukesh said. “At that point, it was one of the most important projects in India.”
Two Seasons Were Already Complete
Netflix announced Baahubali: Before The Beginning in 2018 as a prequel to S.S. Rajamouli’s blockbuster Baahubali films. The series was planned around the rise of Sivagami, the character famously played by Ramya Krishnan in the films, and was expected to expand the world of Mahishmati through a much longer story.
Mukesh was the principal Director of Photography on the production and says the team went far beyond the early stages of filming. “We shot for about 18 months and had already spent about ₹97 crores. We completely shot two seasons and had even shot portions of the third. We only needed about 60 or 70 more days to finish the whole project, and then everything collapsed.”
That makes the project’s cancellation particularly striking. Rather than abandoning an unfinished production after only a few weeks, Netflix and the creative team were dealing with a project that had already accumulated a substantial amount of completed material. Mukesh’s account also suggests that the decision was the result of a long period of uncertainty rather than one sudden shutdown.
The series went through several creative changes during that period. Mrunal Thakur was originally attached to play the younger Sivagami and had spent months shooting the role, but Wamiqa Gabbi was later brought in as the project underwent a major revamp. Earlier reports also documented changes involving directors and creative teams, adding another layer of uncertainty to an already complicated production.
Netflix Leadership Change Altered the Plan
According to Mukesh, the situation changed after a leadership transition at Netflix. He says the new leadership wanted significant alterations to the series, including adding more action to the first season and replacing the lead performer.
“What happened was the leadership changed at Netflix. And the new boss wanted a lot of changes. They wanted to add a lot of action in the first season, and she wanted to change the main artist because they didn’t like the actor’s performance.”
The proposed changes created a difficult choice because replacing the central performer meant potentially discarding a huge amount of completed footage. Mukesh says Netflix offered an additional ₹70 crore to reshoot the project with a new cast, but the producers did not view the situation purely through the lens of money.
“Netflix offered an extra ₹70 crore to reshoot with a new cast, but for our producers—who are the producers of ‘Baahubali’ and our directors (Deva Katta and Praveen Sattaru), it wasn’t just about money. It was our time spent on it.”
Mukesh also says S.S. Rajamouli was supervising the project and was happy with the material being produced at the time. That made the subsequent reversal particularly difficult for him because he believed major concerns should have been identified before the production reached such an advanced stage.
“Rajamouli was supervising our project and even he was happy with the output. So any red flags should have been raised before approvals were given,” he said.
The Cast Had Already Moved On
The longer the production remained in limbo, the harder it became to simply return to the same version and finish it. Mukesh points out that Mrunal Thakur’s career had changed significantly during the period of uncertainty, making the prospect of continuing with the same cast increasingly complicated.
“During the months spent figuring out what to do, Mrunal [Thakur], who played Sivagami, became a massive star,” he said. “Replacing lead actors meant throwing away 18 months of footage, which practically went out of hand.”
The production also required significant physical preparation from some members of the cast. Mukesh says actors had contractual commitments involving appearances such as shaved heads or grown beards for extended periods, meaning restarting the same production years later was not as straightforward as bringing everyone back to set.
“Everyone has moved on now. You can’t bring that back,” he said.
The project had already faced multiple changes before its eventual fate became clear. Netflix paused the series in 2022 and brought in new creative producers after earlier changes to its creative leadership, while Wamiqa Gabbi later confirmed that she had been involved and had trained for the role before the project was shelved.
The cancellation has also been discussed by other members of the production. In 2024, actor Bijay Anand spoke about spending years on the project and said the series had effectively gone through more than one version before being abandoned. Those earlier accounts help explain why Before The Beginning became one of the more troubled large-scale Indian streaming productions of its time.
For Mukesh, however, the numbers and production history only tell part of the story. The bigger wound came from knowing that a project he had spent a year and a half shooting was close to completion, yet would never reach audiences.
He says he held on to the possibility of a revival for several years, but that hope has now faded. “I had hope even a couple of years back, but now I don’t think so. A few veteran actors from Maharashtra who played key roles are no longer with us.”
That leaves Baahubali: Before The Beginning as an unusual chapter in the franchise’s history: a hugely ambitious prequel that went through multiple versions, major casting and creative changes, and months of filming before ultimately never reaching Netflix subscribers. For Mukesh G, it remains a professional setback that was made more painful by just how much of the journey had already been completed.
“It remains a very unfortunate episode in my career,” he says.
Baahubali: Before The Beginning Questions
What happened to Netflix’s Baahubali prequel?
Baahubali: Before The Beginning was ultimately shelved after undergoing major creative changes and production difficulties. Cinematographer Mukesh G says two seasons and portions of a third had already been filmed before the project collapsed.
How long did Mukesh G work on the series?
Mukesh says he spent approximately 18 months as the principal Director of Photography on the project. He says only around 60 to 70 shooting days remained when production finally collapsed.
How much money had been spent on the project?
According to Mukesh, approximately ₹97 crore had already been spent against a planned ₹270 crore budget for three seasons. He also says Netflix offered another ₹70 crore for a reshoot with a new cast.
Who originally played Sivagami in the series?
Mrunal Thakur was initially cast as Sivagami and shot for the project for months. Wamiqa Gabbi was later brought in after the series underwent major changes.
Was S.S. Rajamouli involved in the Baahubali prequel?
Yes. Rajamouli was involved in supervising the project, according to Mukesh, while the series went through several creative teams and directors during its development.
Will Baahubali: Before The Beginning ever return?
There is currently no indication that the shelved series will resume. Mukesh himself says he no longer believes it will return, particularly because several years have passed and some veteran cast members have since died.
