SS Rajamouli’s upcoming “magnum opus” is called “Varanasi,” starring Mahesh Babu, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Prithviraj Sukumaran — a massive movie, which just got more massive.
Here’s Variety reporting that “Varanasi” is being shot entirely on IMAX, making it only the second film ever to use the premium format exclusively after Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey.” It’s also the first non-English-language movie to be shot entirely in IMAX.
Rajamouli tells the outlet that he deliberately kept the title teaser vague to preserve the film’s story and experience, while revealing that production is moving quickly, with completed sequences immediately sent to the VFX team so departments can work in parallel. The filmmaker also confirmed that around 80% of the film has been shot, including its biggest action sequences.
The Indian filmmaker, whose “RRR” was an international breakout in 2022, has shot his “dream project,” and it will be the biggest and costliest Indian film. “Varanasi,” according to Variety, has a budget of $150M+, which is immense when taking into account that “RRR” grossed $166M worldwide, with $130M of that total coming from India.
Described as a “globe-trotting adventure,” the production traveled through India and the forests of Kenya, and is one of the few films to actually shoot in Antarctica.
The filmmaker whose “RRR” was heralded by critics and audiences alike even had A-list directors like Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, James Gunn and J.J. Abrams praising it to the high heavens. He lived the Hollywood dream between 2022 and 2023. “RRR” was everywhere, even at the Oscars.
As popular as Rajamouli might be with Indian audiences, “RRR” came out of nowhere in 2022 — not many expected Western audiences to turn it into a major hit on Netflix. On Critics Top 10, which compiles all of the year’s ten-best lists, “RRR” was the ninth-most-listed film of 2022, appearing on 269 critics’ lists. It went as far as the New York Film Critics Circle giving Rajamouli its Best Director award that year.
“Varanasi” is slated for release on April 7, 2027.
SS Rajamouli’s upcoming “magnum opus” is called “Varanasi,” starring Mahesh Babu, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Prithviraj Sukumaran — a massive movie, which just got more massive.