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Filmmaker SS Rajamouliblockbuster film director Behind global hits like RRR And bahubali redefined Indian Cinemahas unveiled its most ambitious film to date, attracting the attention of Hollywood.
Known for epic storytelling with epic action and imaginative choreographyRajamouli announced his latest film and its title at an event in the south Indian city of Hyderabad on Saturday, where thousands of his enthusiastic fans turned out to get the first glimpse.
Told in detail about the story of the film Varanasi — previously code-named “Globe Trotter” — was kept secret, the nearly four-minute video featured a visually rich time-travel adventure that draws parts of its story from Hindu mythology. The film’s title is taken from the Indian city considered the spiritual heart of Hinduism.
Rajamouli said that the film will be presented in theaters in IMAX format and is expected to be released in 2027.
Rajamouli wrote on X, “Here you go… Varanasi to the world…”
At the event, he revealed that a scene in the film was taken from “an important episode” of the Hindu religious epic Ramayana, based on the life of Lord Rama.
For VaranasiRajamouli has assembled a star-studded cast like Telugu superstar Mahesh Babu, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Prithviraj Sukumaran. Chopra Jonas, who has gained fame as a Bollywood superstar, is returning to Indian cinema with this film after several Hollywood projects. A poster of the film shows her as the character Mandakini, dressed in a mustard saree, holding a pistol in her hand and balancing on the edge of a cliff.
Varanasi It is Babu’s first collaboration with Rajamouli. At first glance he appears as a fierce warrior covered in blood and riding on a white bull with a trident in his hand. Babu actually entered the stage on Saturday riding a mechanical white bull.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime project,” Babu said after unveiling the teaser at Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad, the heartbeat of Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood. “I will make everyone proud. The whole of India will be proud of us.”
Thousands of ecstatic fans caught the first glimpse of the film on a giant 110 by 130 feet (33.5 by 39.5 m) screen decorated with replicas of the city of Varanasi. Colorful lights and dazzling firework display lit up the venue as people danced to the pulsating tunes of Telugu music – a mix of new songs and classics – turning the event into a vibrant celebration.
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The Telugu language film industry has distinguished itself from Hindi-language Bollywood with its high-octane and sometimes logic-defying action, mythological stories and lavish visual style. And much of Tollywood’s recent success – critical and box office – has been credited to Rajamouli, whose ambitious filmmaking with larger-than-life heroes and imaginative visual effects has catapulted the film industry onto the global stage.
After which Rajamouli became an international name RRROr Rise up, roar, rebel, His 2022 three-hour Telugu-language epic is set in British India. The sprawling anti-colonial tale became one of India’s biggest hits, turning into a global streaming phenomenon, and Won an Oscar for Best Original Song,
its two parts bahubali The series, released in 2015 and 2017, broke box-office records in India and introduced Western audiences to the visual grandeur of Telugu cinema. A re-edited version combining the two parts, baahubali: the epicIt was released in theaters across the world only last month.
Many Tollywood film fans travel from far-flung towns and villages to see Babu, who has an almost god-like following among them.
Manideep Rayudu, a fan, said, “It’s not really Tollywood anymore, it’s global now.” “Our superstar Mahesh Babu is no longer a regional star. He is a global star.”