An afterlife for Amarendra Baahubali in ‘The Eternal War’ – and a big boost for an indie director

Ishan Shukla’s award-winning animated film Schirkoa: In Lies We Trust (2024) is set in an authoritarian future. Shukla’s second feature will take place in an imagined once-upon-a-time. Shukla has been recruited by the producers behind the Baahubali franchise to direct an animated spin-off, titled Baahubali: The Eternal War.

The first movie in an intended two-parter will be released in cinemas in mid-2027. Baahubali producers Shobu Yarlagadda and Prasad Devineni, who run the company Arka Mediaworks, had previously commissioned the animated series Baahubali: The Lost Legends for Prime Video. The Eternal War has a new design and is on a much bigger scale, like SS Rajamouli’s Baahubali: The Beginning (2015) and Baahubali: The Conclusion (2017).

Baahubali is about a fratricidal war that breaks out in the kingdom of Mahishmati. Starring Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Ramya Krishnan, Anushka Shetty and Sathyaraj, the action fantasies are blockbusters. Rajamouli recently released Baahubali: The Epic (2025), which combine both titles into a 225-minute cut.

The Eternal War is based on a story by Shukla and Sowmya Sharma and a screenplay by Hollywood writer Scott Mosier. The films focus on Amarendra, the prince who is killed in Baahubali: The Beginning.

“In the afterlife, his heart aching for those he left behind, Amarendra Baahubali finds himself at the centre of an ancient cosmic war between devas and asuras,” according to a press release. “As he...

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