Baahubali (Bahubali 2) producers' offices, houses raided by I-T officials in Hyderabad

On Fridays, when movie-lovers generally wait for some good releases, Tollywood felt tremors of some sort, when Income Tax department officials raided the offices and homes of the producers of magnum opus Baahubali (Bahubali) in Hyderabad.

A group of Income Tax officers raided the offices and residences of producers Shobhu Yarlagadda and Prasad Devineni on Friday afternoon. A source close to the unit confirmed the news to International Business Times, India. However, further details of the raid have not been known yet as the makers of Baahubali are inaccessible.

Made with a budget of Rs 150 crore, Baahubali: The Beginning became a massive success at the ticket counters across the globe. The first instalment in the Baahubali film series collected over Rs 650 crore gross at the worldwide box office in its lifetime. The makers knew that the movie would be a big hit, but they never imagined that it would be such a huge success.

Baahubali: The Beginning ended with a million dollar question -- why Kattappa killed Baahubali -- which has created a lot of curiosity about its sequel. Film-goers are desperately waiting for the release of Baahuabli: The Conclusion, which is slated to hit the screens on 28 April 2017.

The producers are leaving no stone unturned to cash in on the craze and hype around Baahuabli: The Conclusion. They have reportedly spent over Rs 200 crore on its production. The makers are also expanding the Baahubali by creating graphics novel and have already sold some of its music, TV and theatrical rights for a few areas.

Reports suggest that the pre-release business of Baahuabli: The Conclusion is likely to cross Rs 350 crore to Rs 400 crore. Sources from the film industry believe that these huge figures apparently caught the attention of the I-T department.