Speaking in France, SS Rajamouli revealed that Varanasi’s big action scenes are complete, with the remaining 80 days of the shoot focused on intimate portions. The film, starring Mahesh Babu, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Prithviraj Sukumaran, spans thousands of years and multiple locations, and will arrive as a single three-hour feature, not a two-part saga.
SS Rajamouli has confirmed that production on Varanasi is in its final stretch, with approximately 80 days of shooting remaining. Speaking at the RRR release event at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France, the director shared that the film's large-scale action sequences have been completed and the team is now working on the smaller scenes, which are scheduled to be completed in 80 days.
When asked about the film’s ongoing production, Rajamouli explained, "My producer is right there; he wouldn’t let me reveal too much. All I can say right now is that we have finished the major action spectacle portions of the film, and we just have the small scenes, which we'll shoot for 80 days, and then we will wrap."
Earlier this month, the director presented a first glimpse of Varanasi at the Annecy Animation Festival, which was met with cheers and applause from the audience. On the same Paris trip, Rajamouli received a permanent place at the Cinémathèque Française, the French film archive founded by Henri Langlois in 1936. As part of a special retrospective on the global rise of Indian cinema, the institution hosted screenings of Eega, RRR and Baahubali, followed by a masterclass with Rajamouli. The director marked a proud landmark as his screenings and masterclass were attended by Costa-Gavras, the 93-year-old Academy Award-winning Greek-French filmmaker known for Z (1969) and Missing (1982).
Expressing his pride, Rajamouli shared in a tweet, “Having me here in Paris and screening my films is itself an honour for me. But a sweet surprise I never saw coming. It is a feeling I cannot fully put into words. To have a permanent place in the halls of one of the world’s most legendary film institutions, named after the great Henri Langlois himself, is something I will carry with me forever. My deepest gratitude to the legendary Mr. Costa Gavras and the entire Cinémathèque Française family for this honour, and for embracing Indian cinema with such warmth and love.”
Varanasi stars Mahesh Babu, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Prithviraj Sukumaran, and is scheduled for a theatrical release on April 7, 2027. Mahesh Babu plays a character named Rudhra, Priyanka Chopra Jonas stars as Mandakini, while Prithviraj Sukumaran plays Kumbha, the film's antagonist.
The film is set across thousands of years and multiple locations, including Antarctica, with the plot centred on the city of Varanasi facing an asteroid. Rajamouli has confirmed the film will release as a single film with a runtime of approximately three hours, setting aside earlier speculation about a two-part format.