CAMBRIDGE, MA— Shobhu Yarlagadda, the man who is truly the Bahubali of the Indian cinema industry whose Bahubali I & II together grossed Rs 2,460 crores ($371 million)—highest ever by an Indian film, had failed twice before he launched his television and film production house.

“Failures were stepping stones,” Mr. Yarlagadda said in a Chai With Manju video interview. He was recently in Boston as a speaker at the India Conference at Harvard.

To watch the full interview, please click here or on the image below.

Mr. Yarlagadda is the CEO and co-founder of Arka Mediaworks, a leading film and television production house in India. Arka has produced several successful and critically acclaimed films, among which are Vedam, Maryada Ramanna, and most recently, S.S Rajamouli’s two part epic Baahubali.

Mr. Yarlagadda has been instrumental in growing the Baahubali brand beyond films, making it India’s largest tent-pole franchise, comprising of an animated series, a novel trilogy, graphic novels, virtual reality, a mobile game, merchandise, and an upcoming Netflix original series, among others, according to his official bio.

He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Andhra University, College of Engineering, Vizag; and a Master’s degree in Agricultural engineering from Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA. An avid trekker, Mr. Yarlagadda pursues his culinary interests and time with his family as a way of unwinding.