S.S. Rajamouli has revealed that the huge spectacle planned for Varanasi is built around a much more personal emotional thread. The filmmaker has said that despite the film moving through Antarctica, mythology, natural disasters and fantasy, a father-son relationship forms the emotional core of the Mahesh Babu-led story.
Rajamouli has also confirmed that Varanasi is being designed as one standalone film, rather than being divided into multiple parts. The director described the project as a globe-spanning adventure that moves across different countries and periods of history, with the story extending from Varanasi and Africa to Antarctica and ancient Rome.
Rajamouli details Varanasi's Ramayana sequence
One of the film's biggest sections draws directly from the Ramayana. Rajamouli has said the mythology-based portion runs for about 25 minutes and is constructed from several smaller sub-episodes, each carrying different emotional and technical demands.
The filmmaker said the team spent around 60 days shooting the Ramayana section. Rather than treating the entire stretch as one uniform sequence, the production approached its individual portions differently because the characters, emotions and filmmaking requirements changed from one section to another.
Mahesh Babu stars as Rudhra, while Rajamouli has confirmed that the actor also appears as Lord Rama during the Ramayana material. Earlier footage from the project has already indicated the film's connection to characters and imagery from the epic.
Mahesh Babu leads Rajamouli's time-spanning adventure
Rajamouli has described Varanasi as a story operating on a much larger geographical and historical canvas than a conventional adventure film. The director has spoken about icy Antarctica, natural disasters, mythological figures and movement through different time periods, while keeping the central human relationship tied to the father-son storyline.
The film also stars Priyanka Chopra Jonas as Mandakini and Prithviraj Sukumaran as Kumbha. Rajamouli has said the production is being filmed using IMAX-certified digital cameras, with the format playing an important role in how the film's large environments and changing locations are presented on the big screen.
Varanasi marks the first feature-film collaboration between Rajamouli and Mahesh Babu. The makers have officially locked the film for a worldwide theatrical release on April 7, 2027.