Oct 24, 2026 2:08pm IST
SS Rajamouli Says ‘Varanasi’ Is Five to Six Times Bigger Than ‘RRR’, Reveals How He Cut Shooting Time
SS Rajamouli believes his next film, “Varanasi”, will take the scale of Indian cinema to another level. The filmmaker has described the Mahesh Babu-led action adventure as five to six times bigger than “RRR”, his 2022 global hit that introduced his filmmaking style to a wider international audience. Speaking at the 50th São Paulo International Film Festival in Brazil, where he received the Leon Cakoff Award, Rajamouli discussed the scale of the project and the challenge of bringing its vastly different elements together.
“Varanasi” stars Mahesh Babu, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Prithviraj Sukumaran. Conceived as a globe-trotting adventure, the film moves across vastly different settings, from Africa to Antarctica and the titular Indian city. It also incorporates an episode from the “Ramayana”, bringing Indian epic storytelling into a contemporary action-adventure framework.
The film’s scale, however, is not limited to its locations or visual effects. Rajamouli has described the project as an attempt to bring together several distinct cinematic experiences within one narrative. In an interaction with Brazilian portal Oxente Pipoca, the filmmaker explained that individual sequences required different approaches to research, development and execution.
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“Each scene of ‘Varanasi’, be it in Antarctica, Africa, the city of Varanasi, whether it’s the time-travel sequences leading into mythology, the Ugrabhati Caves or the climax, each set piece, each episode is like a completely different film,” he said.
The filmmaker added that the challenge was to ensure these disparate elements felt connected rather than like a collection of unrelated spectacles. “All of them are tied together with beautiful emotion, but each one has a different kind of procedure, and we needed to do R&D on each episode, figure out how to picturise it and bring it to life on screen.” He continued, “That was the biggest challenge for us: to hold our nerves, to hold ourselves together in making six to seven films which fit into one film.”
The scale of “Varanasi” also comes with a demanding production schedule. Rajamouli said the shoot for “RRR” took 315 days to complete, while “Varanasi” is being filmed in approximately 275 days. He attributed the reduction to more extensive preparation and planning before production began, suggesting that the lessons learnt while making his previous spectacle helped the team work more efficiently on the new film.
Despite the logistical demands, the director has emphasised that “Varanasi” is not simply a succession of large-scale action sequences. He has described the story as an emotional journey centred on a father-son relationship that breaks apart and eventually comes together again, alongside a love story between a young man and a young woman.
Rajamouli’s ambition follows the international success of “RRR”, which earned widespread recognition beyond India and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for “Naatu Naatu”, composed by M. M. Keeravani. The composer returns for “Varanasi”.
The film is scheduled to release worldwide on April 7, 2027. With Mahesh Babu leading the cast, Priyanka Chopra Jonas returning to Indian cinema and Prithviraj Sukumaran joining the ensemble, “Varanasi” is shaping up to be one of the most closely watched Indian productions ahead of its release.
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