Mahesh Babu's Hollywood Interviews — Treat To Fans: Varanasi Global Promotions

Ace filmmaker SS Rajamouli has finally put to rest long-standing speculation surrounding his upcoming magnum opus Varanasi, confirming that the ambitious project will be released as a single-part film, not a two-part saga as widely believed.

Rajamouli, who is currently deep into filming the globe-trotting action adventure, made the clarification during an interaction with Hollywood entertainment portal Screen Rant at the launch of the film’s title glimpse in Hyderabad last November. While the footage was unveiled to the public only recently as part of the film’s promotional strategy, the director’s comments have now ended months of intense speculation.

Varanasi stars Mahesh Babu and Prithviraj Sukumaran in pivotal roles, with Priyanka Chopra also playing a key part. The film is described as a high-octane action-adventure deeply rooted in ancient Indian mythology and inspired by the epic Ramayana, while unfolding across vastly different terrains—from African safaris to the icy landscapes of Antarctica.

Ever since its announcement, Varanasi had been widely rumoured to be conceived as a two-part epic, especially given Rajamouli’s history with Baahubali, which was released in two instalments. The sheer scale of Varanasi and its expansive narrative only fuelled those assumptions. However, Rajamouli revealed that while the idea of splitting the film into two parts was briefly considered, it was dropped early in the production process.

According to the Rajamouli, Varanasi will have a runtime of approximately three hours, and he remains confident that length will not be a deterrent. “Runtime is never an issue if the audience is fully invested and emotionally pulled into the story,” he said, underscoring his belief in strong, immersive storytelling.

Rajamouli also spoke about the film’s much-discussed IMAX presentation. He explained that the decision to shoot Varanasi in the 1.43:1 IMAX aspect ratio emerged during the pre-visualisation stage, as the story traverses multiple worlds and demands a larger-than-life visual canvas to capture its grandeur. The director expressed optimism that India will have more IMAX large-format screens capable of supporting the format by the time the film hits theatres.

Although the release is still nearly a year away, Varanasi has already generated unprecedented global buzz. The striking title glimpse released earlier set social media abuzz, and anticipation has only grown following the makers’ recent announcement of the release date through an unconventional promotional campaign.

With expectations soaring and Rajamouli promising a singular, immersive cinematic experience, Varanasi is shaping up to be one of the most closely watched Indian films on the global stage.