Eros ropes in Baahubali writer Vijayendra Prasad; Will Rajamouli, his son, be next?

The latest news that has created a buzz in the trade is the multi-film tie-up between Baahubali writer and filmmaker K V Vijayendra Prasad and film studio and distribution giant Eros International. The veteran writer, who is father of director SS Rajamouli, director of the biggest blockbusters of Indian cinema, Baahubali: The Beginning and Bahubali: The Conclusion, had collaborated with Eros to write the Salman Khan film Bajrangi Bhaijaan that was released in 2015.

Bajrangi Bhaijaan starring Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Harshali Malhotra was directed by Kabir Khan. It has gone down in history as one of the best films of Salman Khan in terms of acting and story. The success of the Bollywood film has led to the mega deal between Vijayendra Prasad and Eros International.

Here are the details of the Eros deal.

Eros and V Vijayendra Prasad will jointly develop scripts, greenlight projects, produce and distribute films and web-series across Hindi, Telugu and Tamil languages, said a statement from Eros International. In fact, Vijayendra Prasad has already written 10 stories as part of the joint venture and has identified eight to 10 leading directors for the projects.

While it is not clear yet is whether Baahubali director SS Rajamouli, who is Prasad's son, will be roped in for any of the co-productions with Eros or not. Already, three directors have been named. Telugu director Sukumar will helm a Telugu film, director S S Kanchi will make a Tamil and Telugu thriller, while Sriman will make his Hindi directorial debut.

Sunil Lulla, Managing Director, Eros International Media Ltd said about the joint venture with Vijayendra Prasad, "Our aim is to constantly create lasting IPs by collaborating with leading talent across Hindi and regional industries and delivering the best in entertainment."

Speaking about his partnership with Eros International, Vijayendra Prasad said, "I am truly delighted to be associated with a leading studio like Eros International, who are undisputed leaders with the best global marketing and distribution infrastructure and I hope this announcement is the beginning of a long and successful journey together in presenting films that will be appreciated."

It remains to be seen whether the father of SS Rajamouli and also music director M M Keeravani, will extend the invitation to his successful sons in the project.