Writer-director SS Rajamouli’s epic fantasy Baahubali: The Beginning is said to be the most expensive production in the history of Indian cinema and it has been crushing box office records for Bollywood films. The movie has already earned more than Rs 200 crore since its release. It also beat the record of Happy New Year in scoring the biggest opening in the first three days. All in all, it's a definitive blockbuster.

And there was nothing inevitable about it. Baahubali took the effort of more than 25 artists doing 15,000 sketches and thousands of man hours to put together what is effectively a CGI-drenched fantasy epic. After one whole year of pre-production, the actors were brought in and the film was shot. The director of Eega and Magadheera, Rajamouli had a vision of creating an epic, that didn't just have great action and effects but a good storyline as well. And with Baahubali, Rajamouli has garnered rave reviews from the audience and critics alike.

The film has had a massive collection both in India and abroad. According to a report by Bollywood Hungama, the film has grossed $4.5 million (28.6 crore) over just the first weekend and is still counting. Though Baahubali is the most expensive production India has seen, it is still nowhere in the league of the most expensive films in the world. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, released in 2011, cost around $378.5 million, about 10 times Baahubali's cost.