SS Rajamouli Aims to Redefine Epic Grandeur With Mahesh Babu, Priyanka Chopra Jonas’ Varanasi

Director SS Rajamouli’s Varanasi is drawing attention for its unusual narrative anchor. A key portion of the film reportedly draws on an episode from the Ramayana, unfolding over a 30-minute stretch. The filmmaker is weaving this ancient material into a much larger canvas. Rather than adapting the epic in its entirety, he is placing one of its episodes at the heart of what he has described as a “globe-trotting, time-trotting” spectacle.

Rajamouli seeks unprecedented scale

Speaking on The Empire Film Podcast, the Baahubali filmmaker reflected on why he chose to explore this material. He acknowledged that Indian cinema, particularly the Telugu film industry, has produced several notable films rooted in the epics. However, he felt that something had been missing from their treatment. “I was never satisfied with the scale and grandeur displayed in those films,” the RRR director said.

The remark offered a candid glimpse into his creative ambitions. Rather than simply revisiting familiar material, Rajamouli appears keen to challenge himself with Varanasi. He has identified scale, grandeur and emotion as key elements of the cinematic experience he hopes to create, making the film a test of his own creative limits.

A new interpretation of an ancient epic

It is an ambitious undertaking. Rajamouli’s comments suggest that his interpretation of the epic material in Varanasi will reflect his own creative sensibilities. The incidents, characters and emotional dimensions may take on a distinctive shape, while the film’s visual language could depart from familiar conventions.

Varanasi may therefore offer more than a retelling of a story audiences already know. By placing an episode from the Ramayana within a globe-trotting narrative that moves across time, Rajamouli appears to be exploring how ancient mythology can be reimagined for contemporary cinema.

The filmmaker has also spoken of his long-standing ambition to make a multi-film series based on the Mahabharata, underlining his enduring interest in bringing India’s epic narratives to the screen on an expansive scale.

Starring Mahesh Babu, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Prithviraj Sukumaran, Varanasi is reportedly nearing the completion of its shoot. The film is scheduled for a worldwide theatrical release on April 7, 2027.