Indian epic Baahubali breaks Guinness World Record for largest poster

Baahubali: The Beginning, SS Rajamouli’s war drama, has smashed box office records and been called the most expensive Indian film ever made. Now it’s taken an extrinsically bigger prize: the Guinness World Record for the largest poster of all time. The enormous promo, which measures more than 50,000 square feet, was entered into the record books after its dimensions were confirmed in Kochi last week. The poster shows a giant portrait shot of the film’s Telugu star, Prabhas, beaming over a backdrop of storm clouds and surrounded by sword-wielding warriors and a snarling lion. It’s topped by Global United Media, the production company listed as the record holders. The first of a two-part historical epic, Baahubali: The Beginning is about a deposed king (Prabhas) who must fight his brother (Rana Daggubati) to regain control of his kingdom. It was reported to have taken 165 crore ($26m or £16.7m) in its opening weekend, beating the previous 108 crore ($17m or £10.9m) record set by Shah Rukh Khan’s Happy New Year in 2014. To date it has received 375 crore, making it India’s second highest-grossing film. The film, which features battle scenes with more than 1,000 armoured extras, was touted as India’s most expensive in the run up to its release. Some critics have questioned whether that landmark counts, as the budget – $40m (£25.6m) – is split across the two parts of the film.