Cinematographer KK Senthil Kumar revealed how a chance moment of dust and light created one of Indian cinema’s most unforgettable visuals in Baahubali: The Conclusion.
Sometimes the most iconic frames in a film aren’t born in the script but in the chaos of the set. In SS Rajamouli‘s Baahubali: The Conclusion, the thunderclap of betrayal when Katappa (Sathyaraj) kills Baahubali (Prabhas) is etched into pop culture. But what many don’t know is that one of its most haunting visuals- Bhallaladeva’s looming silhouette was not a part of the film’s written script!
Recently, in a chat with Indian Express, cinematographer KK Senthil Kumar recalled how a simple moment of improvisation gave the film this powerful imagery.
“When I was doing a backlit for that scene, suddenly there was a lot of wind blowing and a lot of dust in the air. When Rana was walking in, even before he could enter the frame, I could see a huge shadow of him appearing on the screen. The smoke and dust were almost acting like a screen, and you could clearly see his silhouette. So, I told Rajamouli that this was actually looking good and that we should improvise around it. Then we started lighting it accordingly to enhance that effect,” Kumar shared with the publication.
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Released in 2017, SS Rajamouli’s magnum opus shattered box office records across India and internationally.
Baahubali: The Conclusion unravels the mystery behind Katappa’s shocking betrayal and follows Mahendra Baahubali as he rises to avenge his father’s death. The film features Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty, Sathyaraj, Ramya Krishnan, Nasser, and Tamannaah Bhatia.
