Varanasi: Why S.S. Rajamouli’s Mahesh Babu Epic Could Become One of Indian Cinema’s Biggest Global Events

Scheduled for a worldwide theatrical release on April 7, 2027, Varanasi is Rajamouli’s first feature after RRR, the international phenomenon that significantly expanded the global audience for Telugu cinema and earned the Academy Award for Best Original Song for “Naatu Naatu.”

This time, Rajamouli appears to be attempting something even larger.

The film combines globetrotting adventure, science fiction, mythology and large-scale action across different continents and periods of history. The story stretches across thousands of years, with locations and settings ranging from Africa and Antarctica to the ancient city of Varanasi.

Mahesh Babu plays the central character, Rudhra, while Priyanka Chopra Jonas plays Mandakini and Prithviraj Sukumaran portrays Kumbha.

From Varanasi to the Ramayana

One of the most intriguing elements revealed about the film is its connection to the Ramayana.

Rajamouli has confirmed that the movie contains an important sequence inspired by the epic and that Mahesh Babu appears as Lord Rama during that portion of the story.

The filmmaker has described adapting India's great epics as a longtime creative ambition. For Varanasi, the production reportedly spent about 60 days filming the Ramayana-related sequence alone.

The footage revealed so far also points toward a much broader adventure involving different civilizations, locations and periods of time rather than a story confined to present-day India.

That combination could give Varanasi something relatively unusual: a story deeply rooted in Indian culture and mythology but constructed as a global action spectacle.

Why Varanasi Could Be Huge

The biggest reason for the extraordinary expectations surrounding Varanasi is Rajamouli himself.

His Baahubali films demonstrated that a Telugu production could become a nationwide theatrical phenomenon. RRR went considerably further, finding audiences internationally and turning Rajamouli, actors Ram Charan and N.T. Rama Rao Jr., and composer M.M. Keeravani into globally recognized names.

Varanasi begins its journey with that international audience already paying attention.

Then there is Mahesh Babu, one of Telugu cinema's biggest stars. Surprisingly, despite his long career and enormous following, this is his first collaboration with Rajamouli. The combination alone makes the film a major event for Telugu audiences.

Adding Priyanka Chopra Jonas significantly broadens the international dimension. The Indian star has spent years working across both Indian and American entertainment industries. Her role as Mandakini marks a major return to Indian cinema and gives the production another familiar face for audiences outside India.

Prithviraj Sukumaran brings another major Indian film industry into the equation. The Malayalam star plays Kumbha, the principal antagonist revealed so far.

Together, the casting appears deliberately capable of reaching audiences far beyond a single regional market.

Designed for the Big Screen

Varanasi is also being conceived specifically as a theatrical spectacle.

Rajamouli has said the film will be presented in IMAX, and the production has reportedly been shot in an IMAX-compatible 1.43:1 format — an unusually expansive format intended to take advantage of the largest IMAX screens.

The director has also confirmed that Varanasi is planned as one film rather than two parts, with an expected running time of approximately three hours.

Production has been equally ambitious geographically. Filming has included Kenya, with sequences involving the Maasai Mara and wildlife, while the movie's fictional world also travels through Antarctica, Africa and Varanasi.

By July 2026, Rajamouli said the production had completed its major action spectacle sequences, with roughly 80 days of smaller scenes remaining to be filmed.

Oscar-winning composer M.M. Keeravani, Rajamouli's longtime collaborator and the composer behind RRR, is returning to provide the music. Keeravani has said the film will contain six songs.

A Film With a Rare Global Opportunity

Calling any unreleased movie a guaranteed blockbuster would be premature. But Varanasi has an unusual collection of advantages.

It has a director coming directly from a global breakthrough, one of Telugu cinema's biggest stars, an internationally recognizable Indian actor, a prominent Malayalam star, Indian mythology, science-fiction and adventure elements, large-format filmmaking and a worldwide theatrical strategy.

More importantly, Rajamouli no longer has to introduce himself to international audiences.

After RRR, audiences who may never previously have watched a Telugu-language movie know his name and his style of filmmaking. That gives Varanasi an opportunity few Indian productions have had before release: to be marketed internationally not merely as a regional film traveling overseas, but as a major cinematic event originating in India.

For Telugu movie fans in the United States — including Arizona's large Indian community — anticipation is therefore likely to extend well beyond the usual opening-weekend excitement surrounding a major star release.

If Rajamouli can combine the emotional storytelling that powered Baahubali and RRR with the extraordinary scale being promised for Varanasi, April 2027 could deliver one of the most closely watched Indian movie releases ever attempted.

Varanasi
Director: S.S. Rajamouli
Cast: Mahesh Babu, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Prithviraj Sukumaran
Music: M.M. Keeravani
Language: Being released in several languages
Theatrical Release: April 7, 2027
Format: Worldwide theatrical release, including IMAX
Other Sources:https://www.instagram.com/p/DbzQmErCXpF
Images Credit: Sri Durga Arts / Showing Business