Mahesh Babu recalls the night Varanasi was unveiled to the world with Priyanka Chopra and Prithviraj Sukumaran, says ‘Our minds blew away...’

Varanasi team speaks on the title launch

• Mahesh Babu calls watching Varanasi teaser with fans unforgettable.
• Varanasi teaser was kept secret for a year and stunned the cast with its scale
• Varanasi, directed by S S Rajamouli, releases in theaters on 7 April 2027

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For Mahesh Babu, the Globetrotter event to unveil the first look of Varanasi was not just another promotional milestone but it was a moment he says he will never forget.

Speaking recently about the night Varanasi was officially introduced to the world, the actor reflected on what it felt like to watch the film’s teaser for the first time on a giant screen, surrounded by thousands of fans.

During the interview, the host asked Telugu superstar Mahesh Babu, Priyanka Chopra and Prithviraj Sukumaran to describe their emotions as the teaser played out in front of a live audience.

For the cast, it was the first time they were experiencing the film the way viewers would — without the context of months of preparation, meetings and shoot days.

Mahesh Babu explained that the teaser had been a carefully guarded secret for nearly a year. “We knew about it, A year ago, the 3 min video footage that you saw took 12 months for the team to do it, usually he gives a press conference so, to reveal the story of the film, for this film he didn't want to do that and because the scale of the film was so big, so he said that he wanted to a 3 minute video teaser which deals with the exact story of the film,” he said.

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He added that when S S Rajamouli first explained the idea, it left the cast stunned. “I mean it blew our minds away, when I first heard the presentation of the teaser, what he was going to do,” Mahesh Babu recalled. But even that did not prepare him for the finished version. “So finally when the whole VFX was done and I saw it I was like blown away and the feeling which i got when I saw with the crowd, it was woah, I still get goosebumps.”

That shared reaction with the audience, Mahesh Babu said, made the moment truly special — the silence, the cheers and the collective awe turning the teaser into an emotional experience rather than just a reveal.

Also Read: Priyanka Chopra’s condition before joining Varanasi was a dance number; Mahesh Babu says 'Because of you I have to do it too', watch

Directed by S S Rajamouli, Varanasi is scheduled for a theatrical release on 7 April 2027. The film stars Mahesh Babu as Rudhra, Priyanka Chopra Jonas as Mandakini, and Prithviraj Sukumaran in a pivotal antagonist role. The teaser’s sweeping visuals — from the ghats of Varanasi to celestial imagery — have already sparked intense curiosity.

With its festive release window around Ugadi and Gudi Padwa, ambitious global scale and Rajamouli’s track record with Baahubali and RRR, Varanasi is being positioned as a cinematic event meant to be felt together.