Epics don’t fit in one movie

Filmmaker SS Rajamouli seems to have changed the release plan for his his ambitious film ‘Varanasi’. According to a new report, his epic action-adventure will be released in two instalments. Much like what director Aditya Dhar did with his ‘Dhurandhar’ movies, Rajamouli plans to split ‘Varanasi’ into two to narrate the entire expansive tale without butchering it to fit theatrical standards.“Three hours-plus would not be enough for ‘Varanasi’. They are looking at extending it into a two-part format,” a source close to the project’s developments told Bollywood Hungama. “The director and his team feel this extended format would allow them the liberty to tell a more expanded story without looking anxiously at the clock.” The movie features Mahesh Babu, Priyanka Chopra, and Prithviraj Sukumaran in the lead roles and is scheduled to arrive in cinemas on April 5, 2027.

Varanasi in Hyderabad

SS Rajamouli