SS Rajamouli has offered the clearest picture yet of Varanasi, his first feature after RRR, while accepting the Leon Cakoff Career Award at the 50th São Paulo International Film Festival in Brazil.
Speaking to Brazilian YouTube channel ALMANAQUE21, the director explained why he has kept the film’s plot under wraps: he feels a synopsis cannot capture what the film actually is.
Why the glimpse came first
Rather than release a wordy premise, the team put out a visual glimpse last year. “Sometimes I don’t, because the words don’t do justice to the scope of the film,” Rajamouli said. The video takes audiences through the worlds of Varanasi, he added, without giving the story away.
Worlds, time zones and mythology
The director described Varanasi as an adventure that travels through different worlds, naming Antarctica, Africa and the city of Varanasi among its settings. The story also moves across time zones and enters a mythological age, where giants and gods appear.
But he was clear that the spectacle has an emotional engine. The adventure is driven by the emotion of a father and son, and by the love between a man and a woman.
What we know so far
- Mahesh Babu stars as Rudhra.
- Priyanka Chopra Jonas plays Mandakini.
- Prithviraj Sukumaran is the antagonist Kumbha.
- Co-written by V Vijayendra Prasad and SS Kanchi.
- Produced by Sri Durga Arts and Showing Business.
That is a cast built for a pan-Indian and international audience, especially after RRR made Rajamouli a global name in 2022.
Why this framing matters
Rajamouli’s decision to let images set the expectation is consistent with how his larger films work: they sell scale first, then let a simple human relationship make that scale feel personal. For Varanasi, the father-son bond and a love story appear to be the thread that holds the worlds together.
For fans, the update means the film is still being discussed in terms of experience rather than plot points. The next major reveals will likely come through visuals, not long plot summaries.
Source: bollywoodHungama.com