Filmmaker SS Rajamouli has revealed that his upcoming film Varanasi, starring Mahesh Babu, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Prithviraj Sukumaran, is around five to six times bigger in scale than his 2022 blockbuster RRR. Despite the ambitious vision, the director says the new film took 275 days to shoot, 40 days fewer than RRR, which required 315 days of filming.
Rajamouli shared these details while attending the 50th São Paulo International Film Festival in Brazil, where he received the Leon Cakoff Award. His comments have further raised expectations for Varanasi, which is scheduled for a worldwide theatrical release on April 7, 2027.
SS Rajamouli Explains Why Varanasi Is Bigger Than RRR
Rajamouli described Varanasi as a project of considerably greater scale than RRR, with its ambitious settings, distinct sequences and elaborate storytelling contributing to the challenge. The film brings together action, adventure, time travel and Indian mythology within a single narrative.
The director explained that the production required extensive preparation before filming began. Drawing on his experience making RRR, he invested more time in planning the new project to help the team approach its complex sequences more efficiently.
Speaking about the production schedule, Rajamouli said, “I did a lot more paperwork on Varanasi, going into filming even more prepared. We shot RRR in 315 days and Varanasi, despite being bigger, in 275 days, saving 40 days”. His comments highlight how detailed preparation helped the filmmaker manage a project that he considers substantially larger than his previous blockbuster.
Why Varanasi Required a Different Filmmaking Approach
One of the biggest challenges of Varanasi is bringing together sequences that demand different filmmaking techniques and visual treatments. The story moves through varied environments, including the city of Varanasi, African landscapes and Antarctica, while also exploring different periods through time-travel elements.
Rajamouli has explained that individual sequences often feel like separate films because each setting and episode requires its own research and development. The team had to determine how to visualise these different worlds while ensuring they remained connected within one story.
The director has also stressed the importance of emotion in holding the narrative together. Even when the locations, action and visual styles change dramatically, the film needs to feel like one cohesive cinematic experience rather than a collection of unrelated spectacles. This approach reflects Rajamouli's broader filmmaking style, which combines large-scale action with mythology, music, spectacle and emotional storytelling.
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Mahesh Babu, Priyanka Chopra and Prithviraj Sukumaran Lead the Cast
Varanasi brings Mahesh Babu and Rajamouli together for the first time. Mahesh plays Rudhra, while Priyanka Chopra Jonas portrays Mandakini. Prithviraj Sukumaran plays Kumbha, an important antagonist in the story. Shruti Haasan is also part of the cast.
The film follows an ambitious adventure involving a global threat and an archaeological mission, with its narrative spanning multiple locations and time periods. Its story incorporates elements of Indian mythology alongside a contemporary action-adventure framework.
The project also features music by M. M. Keeravani, Rajamouli's longtime collaborator who composed the Oscar-winning song “Naatu Naatu” for RRR. With its international settings, large-scale sequences and mythology-inspired elements, Varanasi is shaping up to be one of the most ambitious productions in Rajamouli's career.
Varanasi Targets a Worldwide Theatrical Release in 2027
Varanasi is scheduled to arrive in cinemas worldwide on April 7, 2027. Rajamouli has expressed his intention to give the film a major global theatrical release, aiming to bring its large-scale cinematic experience to audiences around the world.
The director's latest comments also underline how the success of RRR has influenced his approach to filmmaking. Rather than simply increasing the scale, he appears focused on improving preparation and coordinating the many different elements required to bring the story to the screen.
With filming completed in 275 days despite the project's reported scale, the production has demonstrated the importance of planning on an undertaking of this size. The next major milestone will be the film's arrival in theatres, where audiences will finally see how its different cinematic worlds come together.
Final Take
SS Rajamouli's Varanasi is reportedly five to six times bigger in scale than RRR, yet its shoot took 275 days compared with the earlier film's 315-day schedule. The filmmaker credits more extensive preparation and planning for saving 40 days. Led by Mahesh Babu, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Prithviraj Sukumaran, the action-adventure is scheduled for a worldwide theatrical release on April 7, 2027.
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