The air at Ramoji Film City had that charged, slightly electric feeling you only get when a crowd senses history nudging its way forward. People weren’t just waiting for a title reveal; they were waiting for a direction, a pulse, a sign of what S. S. Rajamouli was dreaming up next. And when the lights dropped and the word Varanasi pulsed across the backdrop, it felt less like an announcement and more like a door creaking open to something big.
Truth is, Rajamouli doesn’t do small reveals. He doesn’t do modest stakes either. So the moment Mahesh Babu appeared in that first look as Rudhra, perched on a charging bull with a trishul cutting the frame, the crowd snapped into a different kind of silence. Not shock, exactly, but that slow exhale people take when they realize the bar just moved again. The imagery wasn’t the polished mythology we’ve seen recycled a dozen times, it had grit in its muscles and dust in its throat. The frame looked ancient but alive, as if someone had dug it out of a forgotten temple mural and hit play.
What this really means is that Varanasi isn’t trying to hide behind a globe-trotting placeholder anymore. The film has stepped into its skin, and the skin is textured, myth-soaked, and wider than the Telugu cinema box anyone might be tempted to put it in.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas walked on stage with the comfort of someone who’s played in multiple industries and knows how to read a room without blinking. She tossed in a bit of Telugu, sent fans into a frenzy, and then softened the vibe by talking about how Mahesh Babu and his family made Hyderabad feel like home. She called Prithviraj Sukumaran terrifying, and the way she said it wasn’t showy. It was the kind of remark actors make when they’ve watched someone go unnervingly deep into a role.
And then there was Prithviraj as Kumbha, confirmed as the antagonist. If Mahesh’s Rudhra is the stroke of divine might, Prithviraj looks set to be the shadow it clashes against. That pairing alone could power a film with half this ambition.
Here’s the thing, though. This isn’t a typical launch. The timeline stretches all the way to 2027. Some sources say Sankranti, some whisper Summer, but either way, this is a marathon of a production. Rajamouli tends to treat his films like architectural projects, and this one reeks of foundations being poured, not finishing touches being polished. You don’t reveal a look this grand unless you’re inviting the world to watch the build.
The visual tone hints at global-adventure energy, but there’s also the unmistakable pull of mythology. Not the classroom kind. More the kind you overhear from an elderly priest in a dim alley shrine, or from the boatman steering you down the Ganga when dawn hasn’t fully arrived. Varanasi feels poised to blend that mood with something globe-scaled, something that doesn’t feel pinned to any one cinematic tradition.
What’s striking is how the branding shift changes the conversation. Calling this film SSMB29 kept it in fan-circle territory. Calling it Varanasi pulls it into mythology-infused cultural space, and that’s a very different playground. It suggests a story with roots deeper than earlier speculation, and visuals that reach beyond familiar action templates.
Mahesh’s look says a lot about scale. You don’t casually put an A-list star on a bull with a trishul unless the film intends to stretch toward the epic. But at the event, what cut through wasn’t the spectacle; it was the emotional energy around the cast. Priyanka is speaking directly to the fans. Mahesh is carrying that calm, almost meditative confidence he’s known for. Rajamouli is tuning the atmosphere like he’s conducting an orchestra. They weren’t just launching a title. They were aligning the film’s identity with the people who’ll carry it forward for the next three years.
But here’s the catch. For all the frenzy, plenty of questions are still floating. No one’s spelling out the plot. No one’s giving a precise shooting schedule. Budget discussions haven’t gone public. And there’s curiosity about how this story will travel linguistically. Rajamouli has gone global before, but the tone here seems more rooted, more spiritually anchored, which makes the distribution strategy even more interesting to watch.
Still, even with the mystery, the project finally feels solid. The fog around SSMB29 is gone. The bull has charged the gate, so to speak, and the path to 2027 is officially underway.
And just like that, the wait begins. Not the passive kind. The kind where every small reveal, every leaked still, every casting confirmation will feel like another puzzle piece sliding into place. Varanasi isn’t promising a clean adventure with predictable arcs. It’s promising mass, depth, danger, maybe even a touch of mysticism that modern blockbusters rarely allow themselves to touch anymore.
Honestly, that’s what makes this moment thrilling. The stakes aren’t just about the film. They’re about watching one of India’s most ambitious directors shape a world from the ground up, with a cast that can match the weight of that world. If the first glimpse is any indication, Varanasi is building toward something colossal, and the industry is going to be holding its breath for a long while.
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Zayn blends critical thinking with genuine fandom. Whether it’s decoding OTT series arcs or rating the latest Bollywood blockbuster, he writes with clarity, pop fluency, and a dash of irreverence.
