In 2022, S.S. Rajamouli went from being one of India’s favorite directors to an international star. His revolutionary epic RRR became a global hit, packing American theaters and climbing the Netflix charts. It even won Best Original Song at the Oscars. Now, Rajamouli is back with his next action movie, and it looks even more ambitious in its story, scope, and bombastic set pieces. Behold: Varanasi.
At a Nov. 15 event held at Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad, India and attended by Polygon, Rajamouli unveiled his next movie. In front of a roaring crowd of tens of thousands of fans, the director revealed new details and shared footage on a massive outdoor LED screen. Varanasi (previously known by such working titles as GEN 63, SSMB 29, and Globetrotter) is currently filming and is slated to release in theaters worldwide in 2027.
Varanasi is not just a globe-trotting film, but a century and millenia-spanning one as well. The trailer opens in the year 512 CE in an ancient kingdom called Varanasi. We then jump forward to the year 2071 as meteors fall from the sky, threatening to destroy the city (and maybe the Earth). Meanwhile, in Antartica, explorers search for an abandoned ship frozen in an iceberg. The trailer then cuts to Africa and flexes some incredible CGI as it depicts the animal kingdom, including a group of ferocious hippos attempting to eat a monkey.
The next scene in the trailer moves the action to an underground cave in the year 7200 BCE where monsters fight what appear to be humans. Above ground, a massive war plays out between humans and massive gods. A group of human soldiers form a giant tower of men, with one soldier at the top pointing his bow and arrow at an approaching god.
Finally, we see Mahesh Babu, riding on a bull and wielding a trident against a backdrop of ancient pyramids. The end.
Varanasi cast and plot details
The movie stars Mahesh Babu as Rudhra, described previously Indiana Jones-style archeologist on a globetrotting search for ancient artifacts. The cast also includes Priyanka Chopra Jonas as another explorer named Mandakini; and Prithviraj Sukumaran as the villain, Kumbha, who uses advanced technology including a special chair with Doc Ock-style robot arms.
