New Delhi: The much-awaited second book in the famed "Bahubali" trilogy will see a worldwide release on August 8. The book, titled "Chaturanga", is written by bestselling author and screenwriter Anand Neelakantan. Like "The Rise of Sivagami", the first book in the series, the new one will also act as a prequel to the film "Bahubali: Before the Beginning". The book is published by Westland.

"Post my first book in this series -- 'The Rise of Sivagami' -- where this little orphan girl starts building a rage within her to unfurl the secrets of Mahishmathi empire, I started with my plans to pen down the prequel, said Neelakantan, who previously wrote the "Asura: Tale of the Vanquished" and the "Ajaya" series.

"The idea behind 'Chaturanga' was to bring forward a story where a woman competes in a man-driven and dominated world. It captures an eventful journey of Sivagami, and how she goes to live in the same kingdom under the king who killed her father," the author said.

While the first book, "The Rise of Sivagami", chronicles a tale of intrigue and power, revenge and betrayal, the second book explores Sivagami's plight and how she finds herself elevated to the position of bhoomipathi, from where she can more ably pursue her burning goal to avenge her father’s death.

"The Bahubali films touched a chord with people across the country, and Westland is privileged to publish the 'Bāhubali: Before the Beginning' series. Anand Neelakantan is a brilliant storyteller, and has more than done justice to the story and the characters," said Gautam Padmanabhan, CEO, Westland Publications Ltd.

(PTI)