Not Ramya Krishnan, But Sridevi Was First Choice For Baahubali’s Sivagami – News18

Ramya Krishnan, known for her performances in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, and other language films, is celebrating her 53rd birthday today. She played pivotal roles in films like Ammoru Raktha Kanneeru and was recently seen in Liger. However, among all her other stellar roles, the actress will always be remembered for essaying the character of Sivagami in the Baahubali series. Helmed by SS Rajamouli, the film made history with its popularity in the country. But did you know Ramya Krishnan was not the first choice to play the role of Sivagami?

As per a report by The Hindustan Times, Ramya Krishnan was asked for the film later. Initially, the makers had approached Sridevi’s role of the formidable queen and matriarch, Sivagami, in both Baahubali: The Beginning and Baahubali: The Conclusion. However, the contract could not be finalised because of the actress’ demands. Reportedly, Sridevi asked for Rs 10 crore in fees, a complete hotel floor for her family and crew, and ten tickets from Mumbai to Hyderabad, where the film had been shot. After the release of the film, SS Rajamouli said in an interview with ABN Telugu, “After hearing a series of wishes from her (Sridevi), our team got fed up. We also thought that it would be above our budget to meet her demands. Then we approached Ramya Krishnan and she proved herself fantastic and we now feel, we were lucky that we dropped the idea of having Sridevi in our film.” Ramya Krishnan reportedly charged about Rs. 2.5 crore for the role.

Later, Sridevi offered clarification on this controversy in a chat with NDTV. She said, “But, when you hear such things about yourself, you really get hurt. I don’t know if the producer wrongly told Rajamouli that I made all these demands, or if there could have been some miscommunication. I think it is not in good taste to speak on a public platform like this.”

The Baahubali franchise’s grandeur and fanfare culminated in one of the most significant milestones for Indian cinema. The second instalment of the Baahubali franchise has earned Rs 1000 crore at the global box office. Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty, Tamannaah Bhatia, Nasser, and Sathyaraj were cast in key roles in this film. Further, reportedly, a prequel Netflix India series based on Sivagami was also in the works, starring Mrunal Thakur, however, it was suddenly cancelled.