Baahubali 2 not affected by IT raid

Income tax officials swooped down on the Arka media office in Hyderabad and on Baahubali producers, Shobhu Yarlagadda and Prasad Devineni on Friday. However, screenwriter K.V. Vijayendra Prasad, who scripted Baahubali: The Conclusion, says that the raid on the film’s producers did not affect the shooting schedule.

“In fact we were shooting throughout  Friday when the raids were carried out. This eventuality does not affect our film in any way,” asserts Vijayendra, who also happens to be the Baahubali  director S.S. Rajamouli’s father.

He explains that all of the monetary transactions around movies now happen in cheques. “At least I can speak about the financial dealings regarding Baahubali and its sequel with authority. No cash payments were made at any point during the shooting,” he says.

He also feels the impact of the demonetisation is more psychological than practical. “People in the country panicked when the announcement was made suddenly. The cash crunch hit the common man, which is sad,” he says, quickly adding that the move is for the greater good. “We must bear some inconvenience for the sake of the nation.”

When coaxed. Vijayendra also shed some light upon the schedule for the much-anticipated Baahubali sequel. “We will complete the film in December  and then the post-production will begin. We are not bogged down by expectations, because we did not decide to do another film after Baahubali’s success. The script for the second film was completed simultaneously with the first film,” he recalls.

He adds that he visits the sets once in a while. “I go periodically to see what changes are required and we incorporate them accordingly.  Baahubali is a creation of collaborative cooperation. All of us are committed to do the two films before we move on. The lea ing man Prabhas had so many attractive offers from Bollywood and  else where after  Baahubali released in July last year. He turned all of them down as he has committed three years of his life and career to Baahubali  and its sequel.”

Vijayendra also  discounts any possibility of a third  Baahubali film. “We planned it as two films. Baahubali: The Conclusion is the companion film. After that we are done.”