Filmmaker SS Rajamouli’s upcoming epic, Varanasi, has been billed as an adventure six times bigger than Ram Charan and Jr. NTR’s global blockbuster RRR, according to a new report by ScreenDaily.
Set for an April 2027 release, Varanasi stars Mahesh Babu, , and Prithviraj Sukumaran.
The film follows an archaeologist racing to prevent a global catastrophe. The narrative explores ancient and mythological Indian eras, anchored against a massive geographic canvas spanning the holy city of Varanasi, Antarctica, and Africa.
Rajamouli detailed the mammoth project during his first visit to Brazil for the 50th São Paulo International Film Festival (Mostra de São Paulo), where he delivered a masterclass and received the honorary Leon Cakoff award.
“We are told the stories of our mythology, history and heroes right from our childhood,’’ Rajamouli told the audience, noting that he co-wrote Varanasi with his father V. Vijayendra Prasad and S. S. Kanchi.
Despite the project being up to six times larger in scope than RRR, Rajamouli has managed a significantly faster production schedule by applying lessons learned from his previous Oscar-winning phenomenon.
“I did a lot more paperwork on Varanasi, going into filming even more prepared,” he explained. “We shot in 315 days and Varanasi, despite being bigger, in 275 days, saving 40 days.”
Renowned for blending epic live-action sequences with CGI, credited his cultural roots as the foundation of his cinematic scale. “Because India is a treasure trove of stories, without even thinking, when I start writing, those references automatically come into the screenplays,’’ he explained.
“The speciality of Indian stories is that we need to have all kinds of emotions to make a film complete,’’ he continued, referencing the Navarasa—the nine emotions central to Indian aesthetics. ”Because we have multiple emotions, whether it is sadness, laughter or anger, a good story encompasses all of them. That is why, for people who are not aware of Indian cinema, they feel it’s like multiple genres in one film.”
Just as RRR utilised the Academy Award-winning song Naatu Naatu to drive its narrative, Rajamouli plans to use music and dance in Varanasi to deepen character bonds and express cultural pride.
“I don’t see action choreography or dance choreography as two separate things,” the writer-director said. “In my films, action choreographers choreograph dance and dance choreographers compose action sequences. For me, choreography, action and dance are just instruments that can enhance the emotion of a scene.”
Rajamouli confirmed he is planning a massive worldwide theatrical release for Varanasi, asserting: “That is how I want the world to watch it.”
While RRR was released theatrically in over 40 countries, it went straight to streaming in Brazil, where it quickly dominated viewership metrics. “When RRR hit Netflix, we started getting information that it was topping the Netflix charts in Brazil, which filled us with wonder and gratitude,” he said of the $72 million production that eventually grossed over $166 million worldwide. “Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine doing so well worldwide.”
Reflecting on how the success of RRR has changed him, Rajamouli noted an evolution in his craft, accompanied by a heavier burden of cultural representation.
“At the core, I’m the same storyteller, just a little bit more finesse in terms of directing,” he said. “As the films become more successful and start going beyond the borders, many people tell me they are getting to know a little bit of India through my films. And that immediately makes me very frightened, scared and probably a little bit more responsible in how I narrate my stories.”
