One of the most iconic and powerful scenes of Baahubali: The Beginning was that of Sivagami’s hand (played by Ramya Krishna), raised above swirling waters, holding up a baby.
So was Ramya really holding a baby in the water for the scene?
Of course not!
Ramya was holding a water bottle in her hand, which was then replaced by a baby using VFX (the scene took nearly two months to complete).
For Ramya it was the most challenging part of the shoot.
“We shot that scene in Kerala under the famous Challakudy waterfalls. I had to walk into the river and become submerged under those swirling waters and raise my hand out of the water. The strong currents underwater, were pulling me in various directions and I was extremely scared,” says Ramya.
But director Rajamouli told me, ‘I never see any fear in Sivagami’s face. No matter what happens, she’s always calm.’
“So, even though I was terrified, my face reflected complete serenity and fearlessness. I could not show anything of what I was actually feeling. That was one of the most challenging parts of the shoot for me,” says Ramya.
The iconic baby scene from Baahubali – The Beginning
Ramya played queen Sivagami in Baahubali (she is perhaps one of the few screen characters in the country, to get a book, The Rise of Sivagami, published about her back-story).
