Book 1 of ‘Baahubali’ trilogy now in Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam

(New Delhi, May 17, 2017) A prequel to the blockbuster movie Baahubali is now available in multiple languages – Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu.

As part of its focus on regional publishing, Westland has come out the translations of the S S Rajamouli-directed movie.

The Rise of Sivagami, the first book of a trilogy, by Anand Neelakantan tells the tale of the kingdom of Mahishmathi, revealing the childhood and history of Sivagami, the queen of Mahishmathi, and introduces readers to the royal slave Kattappa.

The book is not an adaptation to the movie but in fact, lays the foundation for the epic that the Baahubali movie series is.

Forty new characters and a self-devised vocabulary inspired from Telugu, Tamil and Sanskrit find their way into Neelakantan’s historical fiction.

Fans of the character Baahubali can take solace in the fact that the seeds of Kattapa’s reasons behind killing Baahubali are sown in this narrative.

“Long before Baahubali, there was Sivagami. So even though the film is on Baahubali, but the back story could not be any other hero other than Sivagami… The story is her journey that these three books will be dealing with. Another strong character is Kattapa, he gives colour to the book and is a very modern character,” says Neelakantan.

“What we managed to showcase in the film was just the tip of the iceberg. From the minute I started working on this story, I knew the world of Baahubali can’t be encompassed into a film or two, simply because there’s so much more to tell. Books give the epic tale a new life and we’re thrilled to be collaborating with Westland to bring this book to audiences,” says Rajamouli.

When five-year-old Sivagami witnesses her father being branded a traitor and executed by the maharaja of Mahishmathi, she vows to one day destroy the kingdom. At 17, she recovers a manuscript from her crumbling ancestral mansion.

Written in a strange language called Paisachi, the manuscript contains a secret that may redeem her father or condemn him further.

Meanwhile, Kattappa, a proud and idealistic young slave who blindly believes in his duty, finds himself in the service of a spoilt prince. Alongside, he must try and keep his brother, who resents their social position and yearns for freedom, out of trouble.

As Sivagami tries to unravel the secret of the manuscript, she finds that the empire of Mahishmathi is teeming with conspirators, palace intrigues, corrupt officials and revolutionaries.

An ambitious nobleman will do anything for power and money. A secret group of warriors under the leadership of a seventy-year-old woman is determined to stop the slave trade.

A forest tribe, deeply resentful of having been driven away from their holy mountain three hundred years ago, is preparing to wage war against the king.

A corporate drama in 60 minutes

(New Delhi, Jul 23, 2014) A corporate rivalry, romance and jealousy, pressures of a contemporary urban lifestyle, stock market games and ruthless ambitions; these are the essence of a new book which is set in a pulsating 60-minute period.

In 60 Minutes, Upendra Namburi touches upon several subjects of relevance and debate in the country today, spanning competitive corporate dynamics, insane ambitions, obsession with day trading, domestic violence and love.

Set in Mumbai, it traces the intense corporate rivalry between two consumer goods conglomerates.  Based on well publicised instances of such rivalry, the novel focuses on the two top level executives engaged in corporate warfare that spills over to their personal lives.

As the chief marketing officer of one of the biggest FMCG companies, Agastya is all set for the most important product launch of his career when things spin out of control. 60 minutes is all he has to save his job and his marriage.

Beautiful and intelligent, Maithili has never had much luck in love. When Agastya takes things too far and almost crushes her spirit, Maithili must avenge herself.  60 minutes is all she needs to turn his life upside down.

Sailesh’s academic temperament is unsuited to corporate rivalry and subterfuge but he is forced to retaliate when someone crosses the line. He has 60 minutes to destroy his foe.

With an experience in sales and marketing, Namburi offers an insider’s perspective of the inner machinations of a competitive business.

The book, published by Westland, also explores the nuances of love, lust and obsession that prevail within and outside the realms of marriage in modern day life.

Another interesting aspect is a Facebook application that is being launched based on the book. It gives Facebook users a chance to live the book through these personalities from the book. Users can customise the book, play the roles of the protagonists and invite their friends as well to play leading roles of characters within the book.

60 Minutes is the second in the triumvirate of Upendra’s Numbers series; the first being 31.

“Numbers and time are all around us. Be it deadlines at work, timelines, train timings, meetings, business plans, schedules, stock markets, home budget… and the list goes on.

These numbers reflect the reality of contemporary urban lifestyles and how they are interwoven into every aspect of the readers’ lives. The clock is always ticking. We all lead thrilling lives. The trick lies in surviving it,” says Namburi.

“This is a unique book in Indian fiction, wherein the entire story is set in a pulsating 60-minute period, for the first time in India. The novel makes for a heady concoction and would keep you at the edge of your seats as you rush and contemplate what would happen in our lives in a mere 60 minutes,” says Westland CEO Gautam Padmanaban.