Priyanka Chopra steps into a new cinematic world as Mandakini in Varanasi, the upcoming action-adventure from RRR director S.S. Rajamouli. Two first-look stills from the film have been released to mark Chopra’s birthday on Saturday, July 18, offering fans a fresh look at one of the most closely watched international Indian productions currently in the works.
The images arrive as interest in Varanasi continues to build around its enormous scale, globe-spanning story, and high-profile cast. Alongside Chopra, the film stars Mahesh Babu and Prithviraj Sukumaran, with Rajamouli returning to the kind of muscular, visually ambitious storytelling that made RRR a worldwide breakthrough.
Priyanka Chopra’s Mandakini Gets the Spotlight
Chopra plays Mandakini, though the filmmakers have not revealed the full nature of the character’s role. The two newly released stills provide a first official glimpse of Chopra in the film without giving away major story details, keeping much of Mandakini’s importance in the larger adventure under wraps.
That mystery is likely to be part of the film’s appeal. Rajamouli’s projects often introduce characters through striking visual identities before revealing how they fit into an increasingly expansive story. For Chopra, Varanasi represents another major step in a career that has increasingly moved between Indian cinema and international productions.
Speaking at Cannes Lions last month, Chopra described Rajamouli’s filmmaking approach as highly controlled but creatively freeing for performers. “He has complete and utter control on set,” she said, explaining that actors can focus on “the weight of your character” rather than worrying about the many production decisions that come with a project of this size.
A Story That Spans Continents and Thousands of Years
Varanasi is set across thousands of years and moves between locations including Antarctica, Africa, and the titular city in India. That combination suggests a sweeping adventure rather than a conventional contemporary action film, with the city of Varanasi serving as a central element in a narrative designed to move across time and geography.
The film’s first globally released glimpse reportedly moves from Varanasi to other international locations before ending with Mahesh Babu’s character, Rudhra, riding a bull while holding a trident. The footage reinforces the project’s mythic scale while still leaving the exact story mechanics unclear.
Additional reporting has connected the film to large-scale mythological and time-spanning ideas, but the confirmed description remains deliberately broad. What is clear is that Rajamouli is working beyond the more contained structure of a standard action thriller, building a cinematic event around spectacle, mythology, and international settings.
Rajamouli Follows RRR With Another Global-Scale Adventure
Varanasi is Rajamouli’s follow-up to RRR, the 2022 period action epic that became a global phenomenon and earned the Academy Award for Best Original Song for “Naatu Naatu.” The song’s composer, M.M. Keeravani, is also returning for Varanasi, providing an important creative link between the two films.
That connection does not make Varanasi a sequel to RRR. Instead, it places the new movie in the same broad tradition of emotionally direct storytelling, heightened action, elaborate production design, and musical scale. Rajamouli’s films often balance spectacle with strong heroic archetypes, and the early material suggests that Varanasi will continue that approach while expanding it across a much larger canvas.
The casting also gives the film a particularly broad international profile. Mahesh Babu brings one of Telugu cinema’s biggest stars into his first collaboration with Rajamouli, while Chopra adds major global recognition and Prithviraj Sukumaran rounds out the principal cast. The combination makes the project significant not only for Indian audiences but also for viewers who discovered Rajamouli through RRR.
When Will Varanasi Be Released?
Varanasi is scheduled to open in theaters worldwide on April 7, 2027. Rajamouli publicly confirmed the date on January 30, 2026, ending earlier speculation about when the film would arrive.
The planned theatrical release emphasizes the movie’s event-film ambitions. With its multinational settings, large-scale action, and Rajamouli’s reputation for building films around the big-screen experience, Varanasi is clearly being positioned as a theatrical spectacle rather than a project designed primarily for streaming.
Chopra is also attached to the survival thriller Reset, directed by Matt Smukler. The film follows a woman who wakes up in the wilderness with no memory of how she arrived there and must rely on a seemingly charming stranger, played by Orlando Bloom, who may not be telling the truth. Production was reported to be scheduled to begin in August.
For now, however, Varanasi remains the larger cinematic question. The first look confirms Chopra’s character, the release date is set, and the teaser has established a world that stretches from Antarctica to Africa and Varanasi itself. The next major reveal will determine whether Rajamouli’s latest adventure can turn that extraordinary scale into another satisfying movie event.
Sources
- deadline.com
- ndtv.com
- indiatoday.in
