SS Rajamouli has given the clearest update yet on Varanasi’s release. In a recent international interview, the director confirmed that the Mahesh Babu film is aiming for a release around April 2027.
“Yes, absolutely. We are aiming for a release around April,” Rajamouli said when asked if the film would arrive in 2027.
That should put an end to the recent postponement talk around the film.
A World Tour for Varanasi
Rajamouli also revealed big plans for how he wants to launch the film. He said the team still needs to think carefully about the premiere, but he has a clear goal.
“I definitely want to travel the world taking my film, presenting it to the public, showing it to different audiences and making it a global news story,” he said.
That’s very much in line with how RRR travelled across the world after its release, and it shows Rajamouli is thinking global from the start this time.
“All My Films Are Small”
Rajamouli spoke about Varanasi with huge ambition. He said that all his past successes feel small compared to what’s still possible in cinema.
“All the successes I’ve achieved and all the films I’ve made are small, minuscule, compared to what can still be achieved,” he said. “I’m trying to realise some of them with Varanasi. It’s a very ambitious project, full of possibilities, but, as I always say, driven by emotions.”
Emotion First, Action Next
Rajamouli explained the idea that drives all his films. He said he learned early in his career, while assisting his father, writer V Vijayendra Prasad, that action and emotion are closely linked.
“If emotion serves as the basis for action, it intensifies the effect, and in turn, action intensifies emotion,” he said, comparing it to the relationship between pressure and temperature.
Even with huge action scenes, he said the key question is always whether the audience is just enjoying the spectacle or feeling the characters’ emotions.
How Baahubali Broke the Barrier
Rajamouli also looked back at his two biggest successes.
He said Baahubali broke a long-held belief in the industry that a Telugu film could only reach Telugu audiences. “With Baahubali, we broke that barrier by believing that a good film could circulate throughout the country,” he said. That, he said, is how the pan-India film was born.
RRR Took Him by Surprise
RRR was a different story. Rajamouli admitted he never expected the kind of global response it received.
“I never expected such a reception from the foreign audience,” he said. He thought it might do well in Japan, but its success in many countries, including Brazil, where it was among Netflix’s most-watched titles for weeks, surprised him completely. “Why was it so successful? I can’t say,” he added.
Fans Can Relax
After months of silence, with only BTS stills shared on birthdays, fans had started to worry about delays. Rajamouli’s words now give them a clear target. Varanasi is coming in April 2027, and he plans to take it to the world.
