SS Rajamouli says Varanasi still needs 80 days of shooting, April 2027 release date unchanged
Director SS Rajamouli has confirmed that his upcoming film Varanasi requires roughly 80 more days of shooting, but the film’s April 7, 2027 theatrical release remains unaffected. The filmmaker shared the update while attending the French release event for RRR, where he said the project’s major action sequences have already been completed and only smaller portions are left to film.
Speaking during the event, Rajamouli said, “My producer is right there, so he wouldn’t let me reveal too much. I can say that we have finished the major action spectacle portions of the film, and we just have small portions which will be wrapped up in 80 days." He kept further details brief, noting that the film’s producer was present at the same event.
Based on this timeline, principal photography is expected to conclude by September or October 2026, leaving a stretch of several months for post-production ahead of the April release.
Varanasi is billed as a time-travel epic following a devotee of Lord Shiva who journeys across different eras in search of a powerful lost artefact, uncovering secrets from the past along the way and eventually confronting a mastermind plotting global domination. Mahesh Babu leads the cast as Rudhra and has revealed he will also play Lord Rama in one segment of the film. Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Prithviraj Sukumaran co-star as Mandakini and Kumbha respectively, with the rest of the cast yet to be announced.
Rajamouli also clarified that despite earlier reports suggesting a two-part release, Varanasi will arrive as a single film running approximately three hours.
