Mahesh Babu-SS Rajamouli's Rs 1000 crore epic set to reshape Indian cinema

Filmmaker SS Rajamouli could be regarded as the architect of modern Indian cinema. He has broken barriers that once limited the domestic box office market, paving the way for filmmakers to pursue more ambitious projects and making "pan-India" a watchword across production houses in India. Now, Rajamouli is set to further transform the Indian box office landscape with his upcoming film starring Telugu superstar Mahesh Babu.

Billed as a "global feature," the massive project, temporarily titled SSMB29, has involved extensive pre-production work, with Mahesh Babu undergoing physical training to embody the role of an adventurer. According to a seasoned filmmaker, SSMB29 is projected to make at least Rs 2000 crore globally, and if it performs as well as Rajamouli’s previous blockbuster RRR, its upper earnings limit could be astronomical.

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Recently, filmmaker-producer Tammareddy Bharadwaja shared that, if the stories he’s heard about SSMB29 hold true, the film could set a new all-time record for the Indian film industry. He noted that producers have estimated the total budget to be between Rs 1000 crore and Rs 1300 crore, making it the most expensive project ever produced in India.

Much of the budget reportedly stems from Rajamouli’s decision to hire an international cast to support Mahesh Babu in the film. “In terms of business, the filmmakers are expecting a minimum of Rs 2000 crore at the box office. And we don’t know whether it could gross Rs 3000 or Rs 4000 crore. Nobody has made a movie with such an astronomical budget in Indian cinema, and we can’t imagine any other Indian film reaching this scale,” Bharadwaja told iDream Filmnagar.

SSMB29 is being produced under the Durga Arts banner by KL Narayana.

Bharadwaja also observed that SSMB29 could significantly raise production costs in the Telugu film industry. “After Baahubali 2, the industry began considering Rs 100 crore as a small budget. With RRR, big-budget films started costing around Rs 300 crore. After SSMB29, the minimum budget for major films could reach Rs 500 crore,” he predicted.

Rajamouli is the only Indian filmmaker to have delivered two consecutive films that each grossed over Rs 1000 crore globally, and SSMB29 is positioned to become his third Rs 1000 crore hit, further elevating Indian mainstream cinema’s profile on the global stage.

Production for SSMB29 is expected to begin in December.

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