A familiar name, a new battlefield

It has been nearly a decade since Baahubali reshaped the idea of what Indian cinema could look like on a global screen. Now the same universe returns not in live action, but in a realm of pure imagination. Baahubali: The Eternal War carries a budget of nearly ₹120 crore, a figure that makes it India’s most ambitious animated feature yet.

When the first visuals appeared online, audiences paused. The texture of armour, the movement of dust, the light cutting across the battlefield-it all looked closer to Hollywood than Hyderabad. In a country still testing its confidence in large-scale animation, this was something new: an unmistakably Indian story told with international visual grammar.

A visual language reborn

The new Baahubali film feels less like a spin-off and more like a rediscovery. Every frame seems designed to remind viewers of what made the original saga monumental: heroism rendered through scale. Where earlier we saw actors in sets, here we see fully digital kingdoms with impossible depth.

Animators spent months building environments that breathe. You can almost smell the smoke in the war camps or sense the metallic chill of the Mahishmati throne. The makers haven’t chased realism for its own sake; instead, they’ve reached for something poetic-a stylised vision that honours myth while embracing technology.

Industry insiders say the Baahubali animated series that preceded this film served as a testing ground. The jump from episodic storytelling to a grand feature was inevitable. This time, though, the team has treated the project not as children’s entertainment but as a cinematic event in its own right.

SS Rajamouli’s invisible hand

Although SS Rajamouli isn’t directing The Eternal War himself, his creative DNA runs through it. He has often said that Baahubali was never just a film; it was a universe of stories waiting to be told. Here, that universe expands in directions the camera could never reach before.

The film reportedly uses the same narrative spine Rajamouli sketched years ago-a timeless conflict between duty and destiny but reimagined through the freedoms of animation. In interviews, he has called animation “a limitless playground where imagination decides physics.” That sentiment defines this new chapter.

Every detail, from character movement to the glint of sunlight on armour, bears his philosophy: spectacle means nothing without emotion underneath.

The making of a digital epic

Behind the scenes, hundreds of artists have worked for more than two years to give shape to this dream. Teams across Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Bengaluru built character rigs sophisticated enough to allow for subtle expressions-something Indian animation has long struggled with.

Lighting specialists developed new software tools to simulate heat haze and battlefield fog. Costume designers, now turned digital stylists, studied traditional metalwork to design armour that feels ancient yet futuristic. Each weapon, each banner, carries motifs drawn from Indian temple art.

The result is what early viewers call “insane, Hollywood-level animation.” That phrase keeps repeating across social platforms, often from fans who grew up watching Western studios dominate the craft.

A story bigger than spectacle

What keeps Baahubali enduring is not just its grandeur but its moral core. The Eternal War continues that theme of sacrifice, loyalty, and the quiet tension between family and duty. By returning to this mythology, the creators have tapped into something primal-the yearning for honour in a fractured age.

Even in animated form, Baahubali feels human. When a character hesitates before drawing a sword, the pause has weight. When armies collide, the dust carries history. Viewers can expect the same spine-tingling choral music, the same orchestral crescendos, only now matched by colour palettes that spill far beyond live-action possibility.

Changing perceptions of Indian animation

For decades, India’s animation industry was seen as a back-office operation, executing outsourced work for global studios. Baahubali: The Eternal War challenges that perception head-on. It signals a shift from service provider to storyteller.

Veteran animators call it a “watershed moment.” One senior artist remarked that the film’s budget and visual finish could encourage other producers to take similar risks. The hope is that it opens doors for mythological stories, science-fiction projects, even historical dramas that use animation as an artistic medium not a shortcut.

The Baahubali animated series had already shown there was an audience. Now, with this feature film, the bar is set much higher.

Global ambition, local soul

There’s an unmistakable pride in seeing Indian mythology rendered with such polish. The trailer has drawn international attention, with overseas fans comparing it to large-scale animated productions from Japan and the West.

Yet the spirit remains Indian. The architecture, the rhythms of dialogue, the flare of saffron light-all unmistakably ours. This fusion of global technique and local storytelling could well define a new era of filmmaking.

In many ways, Baahubali has come full circle. What began as a regional experiment has grown into an international benchmark. Now, through animation, it stands ready to compete on equal footing with the world’s biggest visual franchises.

Why it matters

Beyond box-office numbers or visual spectacle, Baahubali: The Eternal War represents confidence. It proves that Indian studios can dream as big as any global counterpart and execute those dreams with skill.

The ₹120 crore budget is more than a headline; it’s a statement of intent. It tells every young animator in the country that the medium has arrived. Colleges, design schools, and training academies are already using the trailer in lectures as a case study of modern Indian CG capability.

A glimpse into the future

The success of this film could shape how Indian cinema evolves over the next decade. Imagine mythological universes co-existing with digital artistry, or ancient stories retold through immersive worlds. With SS Rajamouli’s reputation for pushing boundaries, many expect this to be just the beginning.

Already, fans are asking whether the characters will crossover into other projects or series. Merchandising and game tie-ins are reportedly in discussion. For now, the creators remain silent, letting the visuals speak.

A cultural moment

When the credits roll, the conversation will likely shift from “Can India do it?” to “What will India do next?” That’s the quiet revolution Baahubali: The Eternal War is leading.

In every tweet, every reaction video, there’s a thread of pride. Viewers aren’t just admiring animation they’re recognising craftsmanship that mirrors their own imagination. It’s as though a door has opened between myth and modernity, and the view is finally spectacular.

Closing Note

As The United Indian reflects on this milestone, Baahubali once again reminds us that cinema isn’t limited by tools or language. Whether told through actors or algorithms, the essence of storytelling remains the same courage, vision and belief in a dream larger than the screen itself.

India’s creative industries have waited years for a moment like this. Baahubali: The Eternal War doesn’t just arrive it announces that moment in thunder and colour.