The inner circles of Tollywood are currently consumed by a single, fascinating question: Who will direct Superstar Mahesh Babu after he completes SS Rajamouli’s global action-adventure, Varanasi?
With Varanasi reportedly aiming for an August to October 2026 production wrap ahead of its massive global release in April 2027, Mahesh Babu will soon find himself in an unprecedented position. Co-starring global face Priyanka Chopra Jonas on a mammoth budget, the film is designed to shatter traditional box office boundaries. Once Varanasi unloads on the international stage, the actor’s market value is expected to multiply exponentially.
However, a serious logistical puzzle has emerged. The superstar needs his next project lined up to roll immediately after Varanasi wraps, but a practical look at Tollywood’s elite director grid reveals a total bottleneck.
The latest rumor to hit the trade suggests a massive collaboration between Mahesh Babu and Sandeep Reddy Vanga, backed by Asian Suniel. While this sounds like an explosive creative pairing, the timeline makes it highly impractical.
Vanga is fully committed to Prabhas’s Spirit. Given his meticulous scripting process and exhausting post-production timelines, a Vanga-Mahesh project would not hit the floors until late 2028 at the earliest. Forcing a post-Rajamouli Mahesh Babu to sit idle for two years is an unrealistic option.
Shifting the lens to other trusted filmmakers yields similar dead ends. Sukumar is entirely occupied with his next major project featuring Ram Charan.
Meanwhile, Trivikram Srinivas has a packed lineup; he is currently directing Aadarsha Kutumbam House No: 47 (AK47) with Venkatesh and has already prioritized his long-gestating mythological epic, God of War, which is targeting either Allu Arjun or Jr. NTR.
This leaves the industry looking closely at the man of the hour: Buchi Babu Sana. Fresh off the massive success of Peddi, Buchi Babu is currently the most sought-after director in the industry. At a recent Peddi success meet, when reporters asked him about rumored script discussions with the superstar, the director kept his cards close to his chest, cryptically stating, “Let’s wait for the right time… Time will decide everything.”
While producers view Buchi Babu as the only logical option with an open schedule, the core fanbase remains strongly opposed to the pairing. This hesitation is not a reflection of his talent, but rather of narrative alignment. Industry insiders hint that Mahesh himself is not entirely sold on the specific flavor of the story, and fans are demanding a director whose style matches the sophisticated, international aura Mahesh will carry after Varanasi.
Historically, Mahesh Babu has avoided working with Bollywood filmmakers, preferring homegrown directors who understand the exact pulse of the Telugu audience. However, Varanasi changes the rules entirely. If the global adventure thriller hits as hard as expected, regional boundaries will disappear.
This opens up a highly lucrative alternative: a collaboration with high-concept national visionaries like Aditya Dhar. If Mahesh teams up with a director of that technical caliber, someone capable of blending sharp precision with massive scale, the sky is truly the limit. It would allow the superstar to seamlessly sustain his global momentum without stepping back into safe, conventional formulas.
For now, Tollywood remains caught in a fascinating waiting game. The pieces are on the board, but the clock is ticking. As the industry speculates and fans debate, only time will tell who will inherit the mammoth responsibility of directing the post-Varanasi era of Mahesh Babu.
