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Here’s why Mrunal Thakur walked out of Baahubali: Before the Beginning

By: Mohnish Singh

After the huge success of Baahubali: The Beginning (2015) and Baahubali: The Conclusion (2017), Netflix India announced a prequel to the former, titled Baahubali: Before the Beginning.


The two-season project, based on Anand Neelakantan’s successful novel The Rise of Sivagami (2017), had Mrunal Thakur, Anoop Sonii, and Rahul Bose fronting the primary cast.

The team had already shot for a major chunk of the project when Netflix decided to put it into cold storage. Now, we hear that Mrunal Thakur, who was on board to play the young Sivagami, has dropped out of Baahubali: Before the Beginning due to lack of clarity from the makers. Yes, you read that absolutely right!

“Mrunal is no longer a part of the series due to lack of clarity from the production house after shooting 70% of the film 2 years back. Mrunal has moved on from the project as she had other professional commitments,” a source in the know informs an entertainment publication.

From what reports suggest, the makers are expected to re-shoot the entire project with the new team. They are planning to go on floors in April-May next year. An official announcement is highly awaited though.

Meanwhile, Mrunal Thakur is presently waiting for the release of her next film Toofan. Also starring Farhan Akhtar, the film has been directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and is set to premiere on Amazon Prime Video.

The actress has also completed shooting for the much-awaited sports drama Jersey, alongside Shahid Kapoor. Jersey, directed by Gowtham Tinnanuri, is the official remake of the superhit Telugu film of the same name.

Thakur is now gearing up to kick-start RSVP Movies and Roy Kapur Films’ Pippa, co-starring Ishaan Khatter and Priyanshu Painyuli. The actress will also be sharing screen space with Dulquer Salmaan in director Hanu Raghavapudi's untitled romantic period drama.

Keep visiting this space over and again for more updates and reveals from the world of entertainment.

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Yash says Ravana in Ramayana must connect with Western viewers as film eyes global audience

Highlights

  • Yash says he humanised Ravana to help global audiences relate to the character.
  • Asura designs in the first glimpse drew criticism for looking too Western-inspired.
  • Producer Namit Malhotra compares the film's tone to Lord of the Rings and Gladiator.
Yash, who plays the demon king Ravana in Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana, says his portrayal was shaped by one clear goal: making the character relatable beyond Indian audiences.
Speaking at CinemaCon in Las Vegas this week, where the film was presented alongside major Hollywood releases, the actor said he worked to strip away the purely mythological reading of the role.

"I have tried to internalise the whole essence of Ravana and tried to make him as human as possible at times," Yash told Reuters.

"It is important for people to relate to him, and since we have global ambitions, we need to make it familiar to a Western audience as well."

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