Mrunal Thakur on letting go of Netflix’s Baahubali: Before The Beginning after shooting a few episodes

Rising Bollywood star Mrunal Thakur, whose filmography includes such notable films as Super 30 (2019), Batla House (2019), and Toofaan (2021), admits that she had to bow out of a couple of projects recently and she was not fine with it.

One of the projects that Thakur had to leave was the high-profile prequel to S.S. Rajamouli’s blockbuster Baahubali. Titled Baahubali: Before The Beginning, the streaming show was commissioned by Netflix a few years ago. The streaming giant, however, was not too pleased with the outcome after the makers had wrapped up nearly 70% of the shoot and hence ordered a reshoot.

Mrunal had been roped in to play the younger Shivagami Devi, the character played by actress Ramya Krishna in Baahubali: The Beginning (2015) and Baahubali: The Conclusion (2017). She had shot for a couple of episodes when Netflix announced plans to reshoot. The actress had to let go of the big-ticket streaming show due to her packed date diary.

Talking about the prequel, Thakur told an Indian publication, “I was doing that, but not anymore. We did shoot a few episodes two-three years ago, but unfortunately, I am not a part of it. I wish the entire team all the best because that’s a very special and dear project.”

According to earlier reports, Punjabi actress Wamiqa Gabbi has been roped in to replace Thakur in Baahubali: Before The Beginning. The makers are recasting for the entire show.

Thakur also spoke about walking out of certain projects due to the pandemic. “I am not okay with that, but I have no other option after all. Because of Covid-19 earlier, we could not travel. Earlier, I would shoot in Punjab, come to Mumbai, then go to Patiala, then Chandigarh... I was juggling a couple of projects. Right now, if I have to fly somewhere, I have to get tests done, it (the process) has slowed down. What I do is I compensate with a photoshoot or maybe something related to my work like a narration or script reading.”

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