Anand Neelakantan is the author of the widely acclaimed Bahubali trilogy, the prequel to S. S. Rajamouli's movie. Anand is also the author of Asura: Tale of the Vanquished, which told the Ramayana from Ravana's point of view. He followed it up with the tremendously successful Ajaya series that told Mahabharata from Duryodhana's perspective. Vanara, Valmiki's Women, Nala Damayanti, The Tale of the Flying Mountains, and The Very, Extremely, Most Naughty Asura Tales for Kids, etc., are his other popular works. Anand's books have been translated into more than fifteen languages, including Indonesian and Burmese.

S. S. Rajamouli has announced a mini-series based on Anand's books, on the lines of Game of Thrones. Anand has also written scripts and screenplays for popular TV series like Siya Ke Ram, Ashoka, Mahabali Hanuman, Swaraj, Taj: Divided by Blood (Zee 5), Sarfarosh (Netflix) among others. Anand writes regularly for The New Indian Express.