Mahesh Babu After Varanasi: Bhansali Enters the Race

Core News and Key Facts

For Mahesh Babu, the interesting question after Varanasi is no longer simply who his next director will be, but what kind of film can follow a project of Rajamouli’s scale. The actor’s next collaboration remains officially unannounced, while a fresh report has brought Sanjay Leela Bhansali into the conversation.

According to recent reports, Bhansali has narrated a period story to Mahesh Babu, leading to speculation that the two could collaborate after Varanasi. However, there is no official confirmation from Mahesh, Bhansali or a production house. Varanasi, directed by SS Rajamouli and starring Mahesh alongside Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Prithviraj Sukumaran, is scheduled to release theatrically on April 7, 2027.

Context and Official Statements

The Bhansali speculation joins a growing list of names connected with Mahesh’s post-Varanasi plans. Sandeep Reddy Vanga has been repeatedly discussed, while Buchi Babu Sana has also been linked with the actor. When asked about reports of a possible Mahesh collaboration, Buchi Babu gave a non-committal response rather than confirming a project.

There is also one important piece of confirmed information: Anil Ravipudi has directly rejected reports of a new Mahesh Babu collaboration, calling the circulating news “completely false and untrue.”

A September report also said Mahesh has yet to finalise his next project, with several producers and filmmakers having been associated with discussions. It suggested that the actor could take time before locking the film because several prominent directors are already committed to other projects.

Krihaa Analysis

The real significance of the Bhansali buzz is that Mahesh’s post-Varanasi choice is becoming a question of positioning rather than simply another film announcement.

Rajamouli’s Varanasi is designed for a large international canvas. After spending years on such a project, immediately choosing another spectacle of similar scale could risk making Mahesh’s filmography feel repetitive. A period drama with Bhansali, if it actually materialises, would offer a very different creative identity: character, visual design, music and historical setting could become the selling points rather than simply scale.

That is also why the director shortlist matters. Vanga represents one kind of intense, contemporary filmmaking; Buchi Babu brings a different dramatic sensibility; Bhansali would represent a Hindi-film auteur with a distinct period aesthetic. These are not interchangeable choices, and each would push Mahesh into a different phase after Varanasi.

For Telugu cinema, the bigger development is the increasing difficulty of matching a top star with a top director's schedule. Mahesh may have several names around him, but the combination of script readiness, director availability, production scale and post-Varanasi expectations makes the decision more complicated than a conventional two-film signing.

Until an official announcement arrives, Bhansali should therefore be treated as a reported possibility, not Mahesh Babu’s confirmed next director.