Hyderabad,
Nov
15
(PTI)
Filmmaker
S
S
Rajamouli
on
Saturday
unveiled
the
title
of
his
next
mega
project,
“Varanasi”,
at
a
grand
fan
event
held
at
Ramoji
Film
City
in
the
presence
of
its
stars
Mahesh
Babu,
Priyanka
Chopra
Jonas
and
Prithviraj
Sukumaran.
The
film
marks
Rajamouli’s
first
collaboration
with
Telugu
superstar
Babu,
who
plays
the
lead
role
of
Rudhra.
It
will
be
released
worldwide
in
January
2027,
coinciding
with
the
festival
of
Sankranti.
The
grand
“Globe
Trotter”
event
drew
about
50,000
fans
who
witnessed
a
specially
staged
live
spectacle.
A
teaser
for
“Varanasi”
was
scheduled
to
play
on
a
massive
130
ft
x
100
ft
screen
but
a
technical
glitch
delayed
the
screening.
The
clip
was
eventually
showcased
to
the
audience,
which
greeted
it
with
roars
and
applause.
The
short
teaser
showed
stunning
visuals
spanning
different
places
and
periods
—
Antarctica,
Varanasi,
Kenya,
512
CE,
2027
CE,
and
even
the
Threthayuga.
Towards
the
end,
the
teaser
shows
a
striking
shot
of
Babu
riding
a
bull
and
holding
a
trident
as
he
charges
through
Varanasi,
clad
in
a
blood-soaked
shirt
and
a
Nandi
pendant.
The
event
also
gave
a
glimpse
into
the
characters
of
Sukumaran,
who
plays
the
antagonist
Kumbha,
and
Priyanka
Chopra
Jonas
in
a
gun-toting
avatar
as
Mandakini.
Babu,
known
for
blockbusters
such
as
“Athadu”,
“Pokiri”,
and
“Dookudu”,
said
he
was
“indebted”
to
his
fans
for
their
unwavering
support.
“I
am
indebted
to
my
fans
for
their
love
and
affection.
It
has
been
a
long
time.
I
am
doing
all
these
feats
to
impress
you.
This
event
is
only
to
reveal
the
title
—
there
is
a
lot
more
to
come,”
the
50-year-old
told
the
cheering
crowd.
Calling
“Varanasi”
a
dream
project,
Babu
said
the
whole
country
would
be
proud
of
the
movie.
He
also
recalled
his
late
father
Krishna’s
wish
that
he
take
up
mythological
roles.
“My
dad
always
wanted
me
to
do
mythological
films
because
he
believed
they
suited
my
personality.
I
didn’t
listen
back
then.
Today,
he
would
be
blessing
me
from
the
skies,”
he
said.
Rajamouli,
whose
last
three
films
—
“Baahubali:
The
Beginning”,
“Baahubali:
The
Conclusion”
and
“RRR”
—
were
humongous
successes,
thanked
the
film’s
producer
KL
Narayan
for
bringing
him
and
Babu
together.
“I
used
to
tell
the
story
of
my
films
during
press
meets.
I
didn’t
do
it
for
’Baahubali’
because
you
can’t
tell
it
away
for
certain
films.
In
this
one,
we
can’t
just
sum
it
up
in
words,
but
we
need
to
set
audiences’
expectations
somehow.
So
we
came
with
a
video
to
show
the
scale
of
this
film,”
the
director
said.
Rajamouli
also
remembered
Krishna
and
praised
the
late
actor
for
introducing
various
technologies
to
Telugu
cinema.
“He
was
a
pioneer
in
innovation
and
raised
the
bar
for
Telugu
cinema.
Now,
as
I
work
with
his
son,
superstar
Mahesh
Babu,
we
are
introducing
a
new
technology
—
‘Premier
Large-Scale
Format
filmed
for
IMAX
with
Mahesh
Babu’,”
he
said.
The
director
added
that
earlier
films
were
simply
enlarged
to
suit
IMAX
screens,
but
the
new
format
marks
a
significant
shift.
“But
this
technology
ensures
that
the
larger-than-life
image
perfectly
complements
the
movie,”
he
said.
Chopra
Jonas,
who
returns
to
Indian
cinema
after
2019’s
“The
Sky
Is
Pink”,
said
she
was
delighted
to
be
part
of
a
Telugu
film
of
this
scale.
She
essays
the
role
of
the
female
lead
Mandakini
in
the
movie.
“This
is
the
land
where
cinema
is
the
celebration.
I’m
so
happy
to
be
back
making
this
movie
in
my
beloved
India.
I’ve
said
this
before,
and
I’ll
say
it
again,
the
best
and
the
only
way
to
join
Telugu
cinema
is
to
do
it
with
the
greats.
I
feel
very
lucky
to
have
worked
with
such
great
stalwarts,”
she
said.
The
43-year-old
actor
hailed
Rajamouli
as
a
“visionary
that
has
brought
Indian
cinema
to
the
globe,
like
no
one
else
has
before”.
“I
thank
you
for
choosing
me
as
your
Mandakini,”
she
added.
About
Babu,
she
said,
“There
are
many
names
for
him
but
I
know
him
as
MB,
as
the
incredible,
the
legendary
Mahesh
Babu.
You,
your
beautiful
family
—
Namrata
and
Sitara
—
have
made
me
feel
like
Hyderabad
is
my
home.
Thank
you
so
much
for
treating
me
like
family
and
making
this
experience
so
wonderful
for
me.”
Sukumaran,
who
stars
as
the
antagonist
Kumbha,
said
it
was
the
most
emotionally
and
physically
demanding
role
of
his
career.
The
actor
said
he
was
thoroughly
impressed
by
Rajamouli’s
narration
and
added,
“The
scale,
the
vision,
the
ambition
—
everything
was
India’s
greatest
contemporary
mainstream
filmmaker
pushing
his
own
limits
into
never-before
territory.
But
what
truly
took
my
breath
away
was
the
audacity
of
the
imagination.”
“Varanasi”
will
feature
music
by
MM
Keeravani,
who
won
an
Oscar
for
Rajamouli’s
previous
film
“RRR”.
It
is
produced
by
Sri
Durga
Arts
and
Showing
Business.