Varanasi: Director SS Rajamouli To Split Mahesh Babu-Priyanka Chopra Starrer In Two Parts? Here's What We Know

Mahesh Babu, Priyanka Chopra and Prithviraj Sukumaran have been busy shooting for their upcoming magnum opus Varanasi. Helmed by SS Rajamouli, it is one of the highly anticipated movies of 2027, earning the tag of one of the most expensive Indian films ever. As the craze around the film is building, a report claims that makers are planning to release the film in a two-part format after witnessing the success of Dhurandhar 2.

Varanasi to be released in two parts?

According to a report in Bollywood Hungama, a source shared that 3 hours won't be enough for Varanasi, so makers are planning to extend it and split it into two parts. "This format has worked wonderfully for Dhurandhar. Rajamouli and his team feel this extended format would afford them the liberty to tell a more expanded story without looking anxiously at the clock."

If the report turns out to be true, then this will not be the first time SS Rajamouli has released a film in 2-part format. The director rose to fame after Baahubali: The Beginning became successful at the box office, and since then, several director have tried their hand at a similar format.

A leaked photo from the sets of Varanasi

On March 24, social media was flooded with photos from the set of Varanasi. In the pictures, a detailed city of Kashi could be seen built on rented land in Hyderabad. The photos feature the signature steps of the Ganga Ghat, tea stalls and local vendors in the area, boatsmen, local transport and most importantly, the iconic Ratneshwar Mahadev Temple. The detailed and elaborated recreation of the holy city has been built in a 700 by 400 feet area.

Varanasi is slated to be a time-travel movie showing events from  7,200 BCE to 2027. Speaking to Polygon, SS Rajamouli admitted, “I’m very worried. It's a huge job to constantly secure your production from prying eyes and all that. We would rather concentrate on the creative job, not the security job, but that's how it is. We have to do both, and we will do both.” The filmmaker also shared that the Varanasi set will be destroyed after the shoot, unlike the Baahubali set, which still exists at Ramoji Film City.

The film will release in the theatres on April 7, 2027.

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