On This Day - Sathyaraj's Birthday: How The Actor's Life Changed After Playing Katappa In 'Baahubali'

The two-part film series became a massive success both critically and commercially.

"Katappa Ne Baahubali Ko Kyun Maara?" – Well, as 'Baahubali: The Beginning', the first part of the 'Baahubali' franchise, released back in 2015, this one question lingered in the minds of one and all. This eventually became a phenomenon, making Katappa a significant part of the popular culture at the time. This was a testament to the popularity of the character, and what impact it had on film lovers worldwide.

While the foremost credit for Katappa's popularity undoubtedly goes to S S Rajamouli, the director of the franchise, the actor who played the role - Sathyaraj - gave a superb performance, making it iconic on the screen. Although he had essayed several characters earlier, playing Katappa was a game-changer in his life.

(Credit: Movie Clips)

As the actor shared in an interview, "For me, life can be divided into life before and after 'Baahubali'. Before this film, people only knew me in the south, or wherever Tamilians lived in the world. After this character happened, everybody knows me."

Sathyaraj celebrates his 69th birthday today. On this occasion, let's learn how his life changed after playing the role.

Sathyaraj - Our Beloved Katappa

With the enormous success of the 'Baahubali' franchise, Sathyaraj became a household name in almost every corner of the world. As he later said in an interview, "Calling an actor by the name of their character is a gift. I like this because that is like a credit to the actor. I never had a problem with this. I love when people call me by the name of my character. For me, that means the success of an actor."

In the franchise, Katappa is the loyal slave to the throne of Mahishmati, who can go to any extent to serve his king. Sathyaraj immersed himself completely into the role, delivering a pitch-perfect performance that left everyone in awe. Especially, the on-screen chemistry between Katappa and Baahubali earned enormous love from the audiences.

Speaking about how he realized that he had become so popular, the actor said, "After the role of Kattappa, I realized this. We went to the Fiji Islands for a party. There everybody saw the film 'Baahubali' and recognized me as Kattappa. I was very happy that I played the character."

"Once Rajamouli Garu had gone to Japan and Pakistan for the premiere of 'Baahubali'. There he asked a person in the shop, "Who is your favorite character'', to which the person exclaimed, "Kattappa". This popularity is only because of the great director, SS Rajamouli. Thank you for giving me a character like Kattapa," he added.

In another interview, before the release of 'Baahubali: The Conclusion', Sathyaraj said, "I knew the character would become famous but had no idea that it would gain so much popularity across the nation. Even memes were being made on the different situations. Like when demonetization happened, there were memes on my character and the question that why Kattappa killed Baahubali. I feel happy about it."

It's noteworthy that Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt was the first choice to play Katappa in the 'Baahubali' franchise. As Dutt turned down the role due to various reasons, it went to Sathyaraj, and the rest is history!