S S Rajamouli's next movie titled 'Varanasi' to release in January 2027

Hyderabad: Filmmaker S S Rajamouli on Saturday unveiled the title of his next mega project, Varanasi, at a grand fan event held at Ramoji Film City in the presence of its stars Mahesh Babu, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Prithviraj Sukumaran.

The film marks Rajamouli’s first collaboration with Telugu superstar Babu, who plays the lead role of Rudhra. It will be released worldwide in January 2027, coinciding with the festival of Sankranti.

The grand “Globe Trotter” event drew about 50,000 fans who witnessed a specially staged live spectacle. A teaser for “Varanasi” was scheduled to play on a massive 130 ft x 100 ft screen but a technical glitch delayed the screening. The clip was eventually showcased to the audience, which greeted it with roars and applause.

The short teaser showed stunning visuals spanning different places and periods - Antarctica, Varanasi, Kenya, 512 CE, 2027 CE, and even the Threthayuga. Towards the end, the teaser shows a striking shot of Babu riding a bull and holding a trident as he charges through Varanasi, clad in a blood-soaked shirt and a Nandi pendant.

The event also gave a glimpse into the characters of Sukumaran, who plays the antagonist Kumbha, and Priyanka Chopra Jonas in a gun-toting avatar as Mandakini.

Babu, known for blockbusters such as Athadu, Pokiri, and Dookudu, said he was “indebted” to his fans for their unwavering support.

“I am indebted to my fans for their love and affection. It has been a long time. I am doing all these feats to impress you. This event is only to reveal the title - there is a lot more to come,” the 50-year-old told the cheering crowd.

Calling “Varanasi” a dream project, Babu said the whole country would be proud of the movie. He also recalled his late father Krishna’s wish that he take up mythological roles.

“My dad always wanted me to do mythological films because he believed they suited my personality. I didn’t listen back then. Today, he would be blessing me from the skies,” he said.

Rajamouli, whose last three films - Baahubali: The Beginning, Baahubali: The Conclusion and RRR - were humongous successes, thanked the film’s producer KL Narayan for bringing him and Babu together.

“I used to tell the story of my films during press meets. I didn’t do it for ’Baahubali’ because you can’t tell it away for certain films. In this one, we can’t just sum it up in words, but we need to set audiences’ expectations somehow. So we came with a video to show the scale of this film,” the director said.

Rajamouli also remembered Krishna and praised the late actor for introducing various technologies to Telugu cinema.

“He was a pioneer in innovation and raised the bar for Telugu cinema. Now, as I work with his son, superstar Mahesh Babu, we are introducing a new technology — ‘Premier Large-Scale Format filmed for IMAX with Mahesh Babu’,” he said.

The director added that earlier films were simply enlarged to suit IMAX screens, but the new format marks a significant shift.

“But this technology ensures that the larger-than-life image perfectly complements the movie,” he said.

Chopra Jonas, who returns to Indian cinema after 2019’s “The Sky Is Pink”, said she was delighted to be part of a Telugu film of this scale. She essays the role of the female lead Mandakini in the movie.

“This is the land where cinema is the celebration. I’m so happy to be back making this movie in my beloved India. I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again, the best and the only way to join Telugu cinema is to do it with the greats. I feel very lucky to have worked with such great stalwarts,” she said.

The 43-year-old actor hailed Rajamouli as a “visionary that has brought Indian cinema to the globe, like no one else has before”. “I thank you for choosing me as your Mandakini,” she added.

About Babu, she said, “There are many names for him but I know him as MB, as the incredible, the legendary Mahesh Babu. You, your beautiful family - Namrata and Sitara - have made me feel like Hyderabad is my home. Thank you so much for treating me like family and making this experience so wonderful for me.” Sukumaran, who stars as the antagonist Kumbha, said it was the most emotionally and physically demanding role of his career.

The actor said he was thoroughly impressed by Rajamouli’s narration and added, “The scale, the vision, the ambition — everything was India’s greatest contemporary mainstream filmmaker pushing his own limits into never-before territory. But what truly took my breath away was the audacity of the imagination.” Varanasi will feature music by MM Keeravani, who won an Oscar for Rajamouli’s previous film RRR. It is produced by Sri Durga Arts and Showing Business.