Mahesh Babu is currently busy shooting for SS Rajamouli’s Varanasi, and the actor is said to be growing increasingly excited as the film moves closer to completion.
Given Rajamouli’s track record and his expanding global reach, Mahesh was reportedly confident from the beginning that the film would turn out to be a major success.
However, those close to the project say even Mahesh has been surprised by the scale and ambition of Varanasi.
The film is being mounted on a massive scale, and the actor is now said to be confident that it could take his career to an entirely new level at the box office.
Several Telugu stars have already delivered Rs 1,000 crore-plus grossers.
Prabhas, NTR, Ram Charan and Allu Arjun have achieved the feat, while Pawan Kalyan and Chiranjeevi have also recently entered the Rs 300 crore club. Mahesh, however, is yet to have a film cross the Rs 300 crore mark worldwide.
Interestingly, Mahesh is now reportedly eyeing a much bigger milestone.
He is said to believe that Varanasi has the potential to cross the Rs 2,000 crore mark worldwide, a feat achieved by only a handful of Indian films.
If that happens, Mahesh would become the first Telugu star to headline a Rs 2,000 crore grosser.
The jump would be extraordinary, considering that none of his previous films has crossed the Rs 300 crore mark worldwide.
The actor’s confidence is reportedly based on what he has seen during the making of the film, particularly as the shoot approaches its final stage.
The shooting is expected to be wrapped up within another month or so, after which the film will move into an extensive post-production phase.