Baahubali broke the language barrier to become a pan-Indian hit in 2015 but director S S Rajamouli says he was not as sure-footed about the first part as he is for the upcoming sequel Baahubali: The Conclusion. The first movie ended on a cliffhanger, leaving the audience with the question- ‘Why did Katappa kill Baahubali?’, which became a catch-phrase and sustained interested in the sequel.

“We were a little nervous during the first part but for this one we are quite confident because there has been a big fan-base which has been following it since the past two years. During this time, none of them lost interest in the film and it kept on going,” Rajamouli says. “Everyone wants to know the answer to the question,

‘WKKP’ (Why Did Katappa Kill Baahubali). We are quite upbeat about it,” he told reporters here last evening.

The two-part epic-fantasy stars Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Tamannaah and Anushka Shetty in lead roles. Rajamouli says it was wonderful of South Indian star Prabhas to dedicate himself fully for years to Baahubali despite being a top hero of the industry. “The whole film ‘Baahubali’ was possible because of this man (Prabhas) who being a top hero in south gave three and a half years for the film. I don’t think we could’ve done it (the film) without him,” he says.

The filmmaker, however, says the franchise is so huge that no person, including himself, can be bigger than the project. “I think whether the director or producer or any other professional involved in it, we are all being carried on a big ship called Baahubali,” he says.

“‘Baahubali’ is such a big thing, we being the people who worked on it, are getting the attention. I don’t think I am a bigger person than the project,” Rajamouli says. He was speaking at the IMAX poster launch of Baahubali: The Conclusion, which is scheduled to release on April 28.