MUMBAI (AFP) - An epic battle movie from one of India's lesser-known film industries has trumped Bollywood by becoming the country's highest-grossing movie to date, an industry analyst said on Monday.

Baahubali 2: The Conclusion, the final instalment of a two-part fantasy adventure, has made more than US$156 million (S$219 million) worldwide since hitting screens on April 28, according to experts.

The south Indian movie, which is laden with special effects, has surpassed 2014 Bollywood blockbuster PK, which made around US$120 million, as India's biggest-grossing movie yet.

Bollywoodhungama.com, which tracks India's movie industry, also reported that Baahubali 2 had become the highest grossing Indian film worldwide in history.

Baahubali, meaning The One With Strong Arms, tells the story of two warring brothers battling for control of a fictional Indian kingdom.

Its elaborate scenes has seen it compared to hit American movie 300.

It was shot in the Telugu and Tamil languages of southern India - whose film industries, known as Tollywood and Kollywood respectively - are often overshadowed by Hindi-speaking Bollywood.

The movie was dubbed into Hindi and other regional Indian languages.