As fans eagerly wait for Varanasi, director SS Rajamouli has once again underlined why his films take years of preparation and execution. The filmmaker recently opened up about the intense effort that has gone into shaping one of the film’s most ambitious portions.
In a recent interaction with The Wrap, Rajamouli explained that Varanasi draws deep inspiration from Indian epics. He said, “Most of my films are inspirations from the epics of Mahabharata and Ramayana, the Indian epics. In this film, I had a chance to literally shoot one episode from Ramayana.” Unlike a simple adaptation, the sequence brings together several moments inspired by the epic and presents them as one extended cinematic experience.
Elaborating further, Rajamouli described how the 25-minute stretch is actually a combination of multiple sub episodes. “That episode of the film is a combination of multiple sub episodes. So, this entire thing put together is about 25 minutes in the film, one time in the film,” he said. Each portion came with its own emotional arc, creative demands, and technical challenges. “Shooting that set of episodes, each one was like making a film on its own. The emotions that we had to go through, that the audience and the characters had to go through in that sequence, are different from each episode.”
The director admitted that the complexity pushed the team to its limits. “Some episodes, the creative challenges were different. The technical challenges were different. So, for everything, it was like approaching a completely new film, each sub episode. That was really, really challenging,” he noted. Because of this scale, Rajamouli said the team had to invest everything they had into the sequence. “We had to put all our brains together and all our efforts together to shoot that sequence. We shot it for 60 days, and it is one of the most satisfying sequences for us.”
Rajamouli firmly believes this portion will stand out in his filmography, calling it “one of the most memorable sequences of my films.” He also recalled an emotional moment when he first saw Mahesh Babu dressed as Lord Rama. “I felt like I was walking on air. On the first day, when I saw Mahesh dressed as Rama and doing a photoshoot, I had goosebumps,” he admitted.
The film also stars Priyanka Chopra as a mysterious thief named Mandakini, while Prithviraj Sukumaran plays the main antagonist Kumbha. Varanasi is slated to release in cinemas next year on April 7, with expectations riding high on Rajamouli’s epic vision.
Interestingly, this time Rajamouli’s approach off screen is also drawing attention. Known for letting his films speak for themselves, the director usually maintains silence before release, often admitting to being nervous even during projects like Baahubali and RRR. But with Varanasi, the stakes appear much higher. Rajamouli is openly talking about the film in a very confident way and actively hyping it like never before, surprising many.
Fans are seeing a new version of SS Rajamouli. With Varanasi targeting global markets, he seems determined not to take any chances. To create international buzz, he appears ready to step beyond his usual reserved nature and actively market the film across boundaries. This new Rajamouli is more confident, vocal, and globally focused, one who is fully aware of the scale of ambition riding on Varanasi.
