Varanasi locked for April 7, 2027 as Jr NTR puts Rajamouli on the spot

SS Rajamouli's Varanasi, starring Mahesh Babu, is set for a worldwide theatrical release on April 7, 2027. The date came up at a promotional event in Hyderabad for Don't Trouble The Trouble, the Fahadh Faasil film produced by Rajamouli's son SS Karthikeya. There, Jr NTR reportedly turned the spotlight onto the director.

According to reports, Jr NTR asked Rajamouli for a Varanasi update before he would share anything on his own film Dragon, jokingly wondering whether it would really arrive in April. Rajamouli laughed and confirmed the date. Producer Ravi Shankar of Mythri Movie Makers then reportedly announced that Dragon, Jr NTR's film with Prashanth Neel, will open on June 11 and that Varanasi will hold its April 7 date.

A lighter moment from the evening has since gone viral. Sitting in the front row beside Rajamouli, Jr NTR was seen waving his arms, smacking his forehead and folding his hands to signal something to producer KL Narayana and anchor Suma on stage. Narayana first thought he was being asked to talk about Varanasi right away, but Suma worked out that the actor wanted him to save his words for the film's release. Rajamouli and his wife Rama burst out laughing, and fans quickly called it fresh meme material.

Separately, Rajamouli has spoken about directing Mahesh Babu. Addressing film students at Penn State University in the US, he reportedly said he never casts an actor for star power alone, only for how well they fit the role. He said he expected full effort from Mahesh and got double, adding that the actor went far past what he had pictured for the character.

In Varanasi, Mahesh Babu plays Rudhra, with Priyanka Chopra Jonas as Mandakini and Prithviraj Sukumaran as Kumbha. Produced by KL Narayana under Durga Arts, the film reportedly began shooting in January 2025 and filmed across several continents, Antarctica among them. It will release in Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam and several international languages, and marks Rajamouli's first release since RRR in 2022.