SS Rajamouli unveils time-travel adventure film ‘Varanasi,’ with elements of Hindu mythology
HYDERABAD India AP Filmmaker S S Rajamouli the blockbuster movie director behind global hits like RRR and Baahubali that redefined Indian cinema s scale and caught Hollywood s attention has unveiled his most of ambitious film yet Known for blending mythic storytelling with grand action and imaginative choreography Rajamouli declared his latest film and its title at an event Saturday in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad where thousands of his cheering fans thronged to catch a first glimpse While details about the plot of the film Varanasi previously code-named Globe Trotter remain under wraps the nearly four-minute video revealed a visually rich time-travel adventure that draws parts of its storyline from Hindu mythology The film borrows its title from the Indian city considered Hinduism s spiritual heart Rajamouli revealed the film will be projected in cinemas in IMAX format and is expected to release in Here you go VARANASI to the WORLD Rajamouli wrote on X At the event he alluded that one of the film s sequences draws from an critical episode from the Ramayana a Hindu religious epic based on Lord Rama s life For Varanasi Rajamouli has assembled a star-studded cast headlined by Telugu superstar Mahesh Babu Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Prithviraj Sukumaran Having attained fame as a Bollywood superstar Chopra Jonas returns to Indian cinema with this film after several Hollywood projects A film poster shows her as the character Mandakini in a mustard sari with a pistol in hand as she balances on the edge of a cliff Varanasi is Babu s first collaboration with Rajamouli The first look shows him as a fierce warrior covered in blood and riding a white bull with a trident in hand Babu indeed made his entry onstage Saturday atop a mechanical white bull It is a once-in-a-lifetime project Babu commented after unveiling the teaser in Hyderabad s Ramoji Film City the throbbing heart of Telugu cinema also known as Tollywood I will make everyone proud The whole of India will be proud of us Thousands of frenzied fans watched the film s first glimpse on a mammoth -by- -foot -by- -meter screen flanked by replicas of Varanasi city A display of colorful lights and dazzling fireworks lit up the venue as crowds danced to the foot-tapping tunes of Telugu music a mix of new songs and classics turning the event into a vibrant festival The Telugu-language film industry has carved out its own identity separate from Hindi-language Bollywood with its high-octane and sometimes logic-defying action mythic storylines and grand visual style And much of Tollywood s contemporary success critical and box office has been credited to Rajamouli whose larger-than-life heroes and ambitious filmmaking with imaginative visual effects have catapulted the film industry onto the global stage Rajamouli became an international name after RRR or Rise Roar Revolt his three-hour Telugu-language epic set in British India The sprawling anti-colonial tale became one of India s biggest hits turned into a global streaming phenomenon and won an Oscar for best original song His two-part Baahubali series distributed in and broke box-office records in India and introduced Western audiences to the visual grandeur of Telugu cinema A reedited version combining the two parts Baahubali The Epic distributed in cinemas worldwide just last month Several Tollywood film fans traveled from faraway towns and villages to watch Babu who commands a near-godlike following among them It s not definitely Tollywood now it s global now mentioned Manideep Rayudu a fan Our superstar Mahesh Babu is not a regional star anymore He is a global star Source
