Baahubali 2 Hindi version rights: Karan Johar may not distribute Rajamouli's epic drama in North India

Bollywood producer Karan Johar, who distributed the Hindi version of Baahubali (Bahubali): The Beginning, may not release SS Rajamouli's Baahubali: The Conclusion in North India due to high price for its theatrical rights.

The Hindi version of Baahubali: The Beginning made a superb collection at the North Indian box office and it is the only dubbed film of any Indian language film to join the club of Bollywood movies that have collected Rs 100 crore nett in the domestic market. Besides the hype surrounding the film, Karan Johar's distribution and promotional strategies also added to the massive success of its Hindi version.

The buzz in the industry is that the makers of Baahubali 2 have hiked the price of the theatrical rights of its Hindi version by almost double. "The producers are hell bent on milking the Baahubali craze, especially since Rajamouli has declared he won't be stretching the plot for a third film," the Deccan Chronicle quoted a source close to the Baahubali team as saying.

But Karan Johar is apparently not ready to shell out the high price for the distribution of the Hindi version of Baahubali: The Conclusion. "Karan may not patronise Baahubali 2 at all. It will depend on how Ae Dil Hai Mushkil fares at the box office. At the moment he can't afford what the producers want for the movie," the source added.

Sources close to production team recent confirmed to IBTimes India that the satellite rights of Hindi version of Baahubali 2 have already been sold. Sony Entertainment Television has acquired the TV rights for Rs 51 crore plus taxes. This is the highest price for the TV rights for a regional and it is also bigger price than that of many Bollywood movies, say experts from the industry.