Daggubati-starrer Baahubali films were made with Bollywood actors, here’s our list of stars who could play the lead characters in the SS Rajamouli’s epic saga movies.
SS Rajamouli’s Baahubali films can be compared to the same iconic status in Indian cinema, which movies like Mughal-E-Azam or Sholay shares.
Ever since we got to see the first installment of this two part epic saga, audiences have been spellbound.
Be it the performances, the scale, the script, the visual effects or the overall direction, Baahubali films are as close to flawless cinema as there will ever be.
The only aspect that left Bollywood fans wanting was the fact that the movie had Telugu actors and we wonder if the films had been made with Bollywood actors, what would the cast look like.
So, without further adieu, here’s our list of 10 Bollywood actors who could have been cast in a Hindi version of Baahubali films:
Baahubali – John Abraham
John Abraham
For us, John Abraham was an obvious choice to replace Telugu superstar Prabhas as the title character in the film, aka Mahendra and Amarendra Baahubali, the Prince of Mahishmati. John is physically huge and looks menacing. His recent films are proof that he is no stranger to action films and over and above that, he has groomed himself into becoming a more than average actor.
Bhallaladeva – Hrithik Roshan
Hrithik Roshan
Like John Abraham, Hrithik Roshan too has the physique to look bulked up and menacing on screen. But there is a catch, while Prabhas was all bulked up to play Baahubali, Rana Daggubati was almost as bulked up, yet, was a lot more chiseled as compared. Similarly, while John is bulkier with his muscles, Hrithik has a more chiseled physique. So, we think that Hrithik would be a perfect replacement for Rana. Also, Bhallaladeva needs to have better acting chops compared to the actor who plays Baahubali, which also happens to be true in Hrithik and John’s case.
Kattappa – Aamir Khan
Aamir Khan
While, one would argue that such powerful and compelling characters usually go to Amitabh Bachchan, but we feel that Aamir Khan would be the perfect choice to play Kattappa. The character in the film is a guiding light to Baahubali and we saw similar kind of portrayal by Aamir in Dangal. We also know that Aamir would look good in an worn-out man in his 60s as he did in Dangal.
Shivgami Devi – Supriya Pathak Kapoor
Supriya Pathak Kapoor
Anyone who has watched the Sanjay Leela Bhansali film, Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-Leela, which starred Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh, will attest to the fact that Supriya Pathak Kapoor will be the perfect choice to play Rajmata Shivagami Devi. While Ramya Krishnan did a near flawless job playing this character on the big-screen, but Supriya Pathak was equally good, if not better in her performance of Dhankor in the 2013 film Ram-Leela. She has the same on-screen charisma and arguably better acting chops to pull off a Shivgami Devi like performance.
Devasena – Deepika Padukone
Deepika Padukone
Not just us, even SS Rajamouli, Prabhas and Rana Daggubati had suggested that if the filmmaker had to cast someone from Bollywood as Devasena, they would have wanted to see Deepika Padukone to play the character. First of all, Deepika is no stranger to starring in epic films. Add to that, her acting prowess is arguably better than actress Anushka Shetty (taking no credit away from Anushka for her brilliant performance in the Baahubali films). Finally, Deepika too has a strong screen-presence and commands the same on-screen charisma that Anushka did as Devasena.
Avantika – Katrina Kaif
Katrina Kaif
While Tamannaah Bhatia did a more than convincing job as Avantika in the first Baahubali film, playing Mahendra Baahubali’s love interest and a warrior herself, we feel Bollywood diva Katrina Kaif will be a perfect replacement for her. Katrina is acrobatic, which will help her with the action sequences and she is mesmerising when she has to look pretty and desirable on the big-screen.
Bijjaladeva – Paresh Rawal
Paresh Rawal
How many times have we seen Paresh Rawal play a conniving little weasel on the big-screen. The actor has been convincingly portraying such characters since the 80s. So, this was a no brainer for us to cast him as the perfect replacement of Telugu actor Nasser and portray the villainous Bijjaladeva.
Kumar Varma – Riteish Deshmukh
Riteish Deshmukh
If you remember this character from the film, he was quite the comic relief. And Bollywood actor Riteish Deshmukh is no stranger to comedy. In fact, most of his films in his career have been comedy movies. The actor’s excellent comic timing is why we think he’ll be perfect for the role of Kumar Varma.
Kalakeya – Ranveer Singh
Ranveer Singh
While the role of Kalakeya was short and confined to the first film, but it needs to be played by someone who looks terrifying and who better than Ranveer Singh, considering he was so phenomenal as Alauddin Khalji in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmaavat.
Kunthala King – Pankaj Tripathi
Pankaj Tripathi
Pankaj Tripathi has become the quintessential father or elder brother in mid-budget or low-budget Bollywood films. Check out any of the recent ones in the last 5 years and you’ll see him playing a father or elder brother of the lead character. Even in the upcoming Kartik Aaryan and Kriti Sanon romantic-comedy, Luka Chuppi, Pankaj is playing Kartik’s elder brother. So, he should be a perfect fit to play Devasena’s elder brother in a Bollywood version of Baahubali.
