Tamannaah Bhatia reflects on playing Avanthika in Baahubali, a role that changed her forever

Tamannaah Bhatia began her acting career almost twenty years ago with Chand Sa Roshan Chehra (2005). After a few initial roles, she soon found her footing in Tamil and Telugu cinema, becoming a familiar face across South India. Yet, it was a decade later that her true turning point arrived with SS Rajamouli’s magnum opus Baahubali: The Beginning (2015).

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Portraying the fierce and graceful warrior Avanthika, Tamannaah captivated audiences with her screen presence, emotional depth, and chemistry with co-star Prabhas. Her return in Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017) further solidified her reputation as one of the leading women in Indian cinema.

The Film That Changed Everything

During a recent candid conversation with Filmfare, Tamannaah was asked how the Baahubali experience shaped her as an artist and as an individual.

She reflected, “Baahubali was a film that I learned the most about. We were shooting against the green screen so we had to imagine a lot of things. I learnt much about VFX and how it’s used to enhance a film. It gave me a lot more confidence to be a lot more experimental."

The actress went on to explain how the experience affected her outlook and creative choices, sharing, "From there onwards, I really refrained from taking people's opinions seriously. I started to trust my gut a lot more. It gave me a lot of insight into my own personality.”

For Tamannaah, Baahubali wasn’t just a milestone in her filmography- it was a transformative experience that pushed her boundaries, helped her embrace bold choices, and strengthened her belief in self-expression.

Looking Ahead: A New Chapter with 'Baahubali: The Epic'

Tamannaah is now gearing up for Baahubali: The Epic, a remastered, re-edited version of both films featuring unseen footage. The cinematic event, set to release on October 31, promises to bring audiences back to the majestic world that changed the course of Indian cinema.

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Apart from this grand release, Tamannaah continues to shine across diverse projects. After setting screens ablaze with her dance number “Ghafoor” in Aryan Khan’s The Ba***ds of Bollywood, she is next set to appear in O' Romeo, sharing screen space with Shahid Kapoor and Triptii Dimri.