Rajamouli Reveals Why Varanasi Is His Most Ambitious Film Yet

SS Rajamouli, known for redefining Indian cinema with grand spectacles, has opened up about his upcoming film Varanasi starring Mahesh Babu. In a recent appearance on The Empire podcast, Rajamouli described Varanasi as his most ambitious project to date, revealing a personal motivation behind its creation.

Rajamouli, who has grown up watching Indian mythological films in multiple languages, admitted, “I was never satisfied.” He explained that while he admired many classic adaptations, he always felt that the cinematic versions failed to capture the true scale of the original epics. “The way the epics are written and the way they are shown on screen, the scale doesn’t match,” he said. This long-standing dissatisfaction became the driving force for Varanasi, with Rajamouli challenging himself to bridge that gap: “Now what are you going to do? How are you going to show them?”

The film, produced by KL Narayana and SS Karthikeya, is being mounted on a massive scale and features an impressive cast including Mahesh Babu, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Prithviraj Sukumaran, and Prakash Raj. MM Keeravani is composing the music. Varanasi is set for a theatrical release on April 7, 2027, and expectations are high among fans, especially given Rajamouli’s track record of delivering visually stunning blockbusters.

Rajamouli’s candid remarks have only heightened anticipation, with social media already abuzz about how he will bring his vision of epic storytelling to life on the big screen.