EXCLUSIVE: Blockbuster Indian director SS Rajamouli will hit France’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival on Thursday for a work-in-progress presentation of animated movie Baahubali: The Eternal War, on which he is a producer.
The trip comes sees the RRR director takes a break from shooting his live action picture Varanasi which will complete physical production in August, having just wrapped principal photography with the stars Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Mahesh Babu.
Baahubali: The Eternal War is a CGI animated spin-off of the Telugu-language Baahubali franchise which began with the Rajamouli’s 2015 and 2017 blockbusters Baahubali: The Beginning and Baahubali: The Conclusion.
It is among nine upcoming animated features being showcased in Annecy’s Work in Progress (WIP) sidebar, the sessions of which are as popular as the screenings.
Lead produced by Arka Mediaworks, the animated feature follows murdered Prince Baahubali as he enters the afterlife and joins an eternal war across 14 realms between Devas and Asuras, personifications of Order and Chaos, with his destiny reshaping the cosmos forever.
Ishan Shukla is directing from a screenplay by Scott Mosier. Shukla will be accompanied on the Annecy panel by art director Ajey Lele, co-writer Sowmya Sharma, animation director Antoine Charryron (Batwheels), and CG supervisor Simon Brown (Guardians of the Galaxy).
Rajamouli will join the creative team as well as fellow producer and longtime collaborator, Arka Media co-head Shobu Yarlagadda. There will also be a screening of RRR, which is being re-released in France in late July by Carlotta Films.
The Annecy trip kicks off a summer of European appearances for Rajamouli including honorary events at the French Cinematheque in Paris and Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival.
There will be a three-day retrospective of Rajamouli’s work at the French Cinematheque from June 26 to 26, featuring a masterclass with the director on June 27. It will screen both Baahubali epics and RRR as well as Maryada Ramanna and Eega, with the latter two films also screening at landmark Paris cinemas on June 29 and 30.
He will then attend a special screening of RRR at the Institut Lumière in Lyon, followed by the Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival in Switzerland where he is being honored with a special award on their 25th anniversary.
Baahubali: The eternal War has been slated for a 2027 release exclusively in movie theatres. Varanasi will be released in theaters worldwide on April 7, 2027.
