Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone is not doing a sequel to director S.S. Rajamouli's massively successful "Baahubali."
It was earlier reported that the 29-year-old actress was roped in to play a key role in the movie. However, a source has revealed that the "Bajirao Mastani" actress is not playing any role in the second installment of the 2015 blockbuster "Baahubali."
"Even we were surprised when we came across this news. It's just a rumour, which we don't even know how it was circulated in the first place," a source associated with movie's production unit confirmed.
Speculations were also rife about actress Shriya Saran teaming up with Rajamouli for the sequel. However, the Dhrishyam actress recently made it clear that she is not doing "Baahubali 2." "I haven't been approached by the makers. I wish I were a part of this film but I am not," Saran said.
"Baahubali 2," or "Baahubali: The Conclusion," is the second and final installment of the "Baahubali" series. It stars Rana Daggubati, Prabhas, Tamannaah Bhatia, Anushka Shetty, Ramya Krishnan and Sathyaraj in lead roles. The first installment of series - "Baahubali: The Beginning" - became the first Indian film to gross more than Rs 500 crores. The epic war fantasy drama, released in July 2015, also got a national award in the Best Feature Film category last year.
Rajamouli has already begun the shooting for the sequel. He is shooting for the movie's high voltage war sequences in Hyderabad-based Ramoji Film City. The shooting is expected to be wrapped up by August. Media reports said that the first teaser of the movie will be released on the occasion of Dussehera this year. Indian fans have been eagerly waiting for the second part. They are also waiting to find one thing, "Why Did Kattappa Kill Baahubali?" They will get the answer in April next year, as the movie is likely to hit the theaters on April 14, 2017.
The much anticipated sequel is expected to clash with megastar Rajinikanth's "Enthiran 2," which will also hit the screens on same date. "Why not? The mother language of Baahubali is Telugu while Robot is in Tamil. The clash will not be headlong. And it's a long weekend, beginning 14 April. Long enough to accommodate two big films," a source said on possible release date clash.
