SS Rajamouli has called Varanasi the most ambitious film of his career, and for the first time, he has explained why. The director behind Baahubali and RRR says the film is his chance to show the Ramayana the way he always felt it deserved to be shown, and that the epic is only one part of a much bigger adventure.
“Varanasi is my most ambitious film ever,” Rajamouli said.
Years of Watching, Never Fully Satisfied
Rajamouli revealed that he has watched many films based on the Ramayana and Mahabharata over the years, in Telugu and other Indian languages. He enjoyed some moments, but the films never matched what he imagined.
“While there have been some great moments that I truly loved, I was never fully satisfied with how these epics were presented on screen. I always felt that the scale needed to be much bigger and grander, and that there was so much more that could be explored and brought to life on screen,” he said.
Coming from Rajamouli, this is a big statement. The epics have always been at the heart of his filmmaking, and he has spoken many times about his dream of making the Mahabharata one day. Varanasi gives him his first real opportunity to bring a part of that world to the big screen.
Grandeur Is Not Enough, Emotions Have to Match
For Rajamouli, the challenge is not just about size. “With Varanasi, I now have the opportunity to explore an episode from the Ramayana. I have to deliver not just grandeur and a much bigger scale, but also larger-than-life emotions for the characters,” he said.
He also made it clear that he sees this as a personal responsibility. “I keep reminding myself that, after all these years of feeling unsatisfied with how these epics have been presented, I now have the responsibility to show what I believe they truly deserve. That is the challenge I have set for myself, and that is why Varanasi is my most ambitious film ever.”
That is exactly what made Baahubali and RRR work. The scale was huge, but it was the emotions between the characters that made audiences connect. If Rajamouli brings that same strength to the Ramayana portion, it could become one of the most talked about sequences in Indian cinema.
The Ramayana Is Only One Part
Here is the most interesting part. The Ramayana episode is not the whole film. “The Ramayana episode is only one part of the film. There is so much more to Varanasi beyond that, which takes the ambition of this project to an entirely different level. The scale of what we are attempting is truly massive,” Rajamouli said.
He also revealed that Varanasi fulfils a long pending wish. “I have wanted to make an adventure film for a very long time, and Varanasi has given me that opportunity.”
This fits with everything shown so far. Varanasi is a globetrotting adventure that travels across different timelines and locations, with the Ramayana portion as one of its key highlights.
Varanasi: What We Know So Far
Varanasi marks the first collaboration between SS Rajamouli and Superstar Mahesh Babu. Mahesh plays Rudhra, and also appears in the Ramayana portion as Lord Rama. Priyanka Chopra Jonas plays Mandakini, and Prithviraj Sukumaran is the main antagonist, Kumbha. MM Keeravani is composing the music, and the story is written by Rajamouli with his father V. Vijayendra Prasad.
The film’s title was revealed in November 2025 at a grand event in Hyderabad, and Varanasi is set to release worldwide on April 7, 2027, including in IMAX.
With Rajamouli himself calling it his most ambitious film after Baahubali and RRR, the expectations on Varanasi just went up another level.
