Varanasi: Prithviraj Sukumaran explains how the wheel chair is an extension to his character Kumbha, calls it dangerous

Prithviraj Sukumaran in Varanasi

• Varanasi's history spans millennia, from Antarctica to India.
• Prithviraj Sukumaran plays Kumbha, a villain limited to facial expressions only
• Mahesh Babu stars as Rudhra and Lord Rama, Priyanka Chopra Jonas plays Mandakini

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The cast of S.S. Rajamouli's much anticipated film Varanasi is super excited about the project and has been promoting it extensively. During the title and teaser release which happened a few months ago in 2025, the cast promoted the film in Hollywood and have given a few interviews to the media there.

The film's social media team has now shared one of the excerpts from the video in which actor Prithviraj Sukumaran can be seen talking about his character and how dangerous it is.

The story of Varanasi takes place over thousands of years and on several continents.

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

It starts in Antarctica and ends in the ancient Indian city that gives the movie its name. In the movie, Mahesh Babu plays two roles: the main character Rudhra and the divine incarnation of Lord Rama. Priyanka Chopra Jonas plays a key role as Mandakini, and Prithviraj Sukumaran plays the main bad guy, Kumbha.

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Prithviraj said that Kumbha is a very hard character to play because he is in a wheelchair and can only move his face.

The actor said that the wheelchair-bound setup is completely real and not enhanced by CGI, which is what makes it so real. Because there was no room for body language, all emotions and intentions had to be shown through facial expressions.

He said that Kumbha was a fascinating contradiction: his body was limited, but his mind was dangerously wide and powerful.

The team even talked about the size and difficulties of the project, which has given the audience a better idea of how physically and emotionally demanding the shoot was. The film is being called one of the director's most ambitious projects so far, pushing the cast and crew to new heights. It is set on a huge canvas.

Varanasi is shaping up to be a cinematic spectacle that once again shows Rajamouli's reputation for uncompromising scale and vision. The story takes place all over the world, and the characters change in dramatic ways and especially after RRR, the entire world has been eagerly waiting to see what is coming from Rajamouli and how big it is going to be.