Jul 18, 2026 11:14am IST
‘Varanasi’: Priyanka Chopra Stuns in First Look From SS Rajamouli’s Epic on Her Birthday
On Priyanka Chopra’s 44th birthday (July 18), the makers of SS Rajamouli’s globetrotting epic dropped her fierce character look as Mandakini for her fans. PeeCee looks smoldering and ferocious in the first picture with an all-black avatar, while the second image showcases her happy and cheerful side, thus showing her complete character arc from the ‘World of Varanasi’.
In “Varanasi,” Chopra plays a “fierce, globetrotting character who is strong, vulnerable and unforgettable in equal measure.”
Touted to be one of the most expensive Indian films, “Varanasi” is described as "An epic, action-adventure that spans thousands of years from ancient civilizations to the present day across multiple continents, with characters traversing Antarctica, Africa, and the holy city of Varanasi itself."
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“Varanasi” marks PeeCee's first Indian theatrical release since 2019’s “The Sky Is Pink.” The lead protagonist is Mahesh Babu, who plays the character of Rudhra. He also plays Lord Rama in a secondary role. On the other hand, popular Malayalam actor Prithviraj Sukumaran will be seen as the lead antagonist, named Kumbha.
Priyanka Chopra recently shared insights about “Varanasi” while speaking on the Jonas Brothers YouTube channel. Talking about it to her husband (Nick Jonas) and his two brothers (Kevin Jonas and Joe Jonas) on their podcast, Hey Jonas!, she said, “It’s a Telugu movie. South Indian. I've been working on it for almost 14 months now. But this filmmaker, his name is SS Rajamouli, is known to take that kind of time to make movies. His last film was called ‘RRR’.”
Talking about her character, she revealed, “I do so many amazing slow-motion jumps, and that's all I can say.”
Recalling how filmmaker Rajamouli approached him for the role, she added, “He called me for this movie and it's called ‘Varanasi’ and it's this epic, adventure around the world and time and it's taken a minute, but I'm very excited about it. It comes out in April 2027.”
Set to hit the screens on April 7, 2027, the film will be released globally in standard, IMAX and Dolby Cinema formats.
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