Varanasi: Rajamouli Nears Shoot Wrap by October 2026

Core News and Key Facts

For a film built around scale, the most significant update on Varanasi is that the production is beginning to move away from its largest spectacle pieces and toward completion. SS Rajamouli and Mahesh Babu’s much-awaited project is reportedly approaching the final stretch of principal photography, with Mahesh Babu’s remaining portions expected to be completed by the end of September and the overall shoot likely to conclude in October.

This broadly matches Rajamouli’s earlier update that the major large-scale action sequences had already been completed and that the team was concentrating on smaller, interconnecting scenes. He indicated that filming could finish by September or extend slightly into October.

The film stars Mahesh Babu as Rudhra, Priyanka Chopra Jonas as Mandakini and Prithviraj Sukumaran as Kumbha. The project is scheduled for worldwide theatrical release on April 7, 2027.

Context and Official Statements

The next major production phase is already taking shape through the music department. MM Keeravani has said that Varanasi will feature six songs and that work on the background score is scheduled to begin in September 2026, with the score work expected to continue into the following months.

That timing is important because Rajamouli’s films traditionally depend heavily on music and background scoring to establish emotion around large-scale action and character moments. With major spectacle sequences reportedly completed, the remaining shoot and music work will help connect those set pieces into a coherent three-hour narrative.

The film is also being mounted on an unusually large reported budget. Bollywood Hungama reported a ₹1,300-crore production budget excluding print and publicity, while other reports have placed the figure in a similar range. However, budget figures have not been consistently reported across outlets, so ₹1,300 crore should be treated as a reported estimate rather than an independently confirmed final cost.

Krihaa Analysis

The October shooting target matters less as a calendar milestone and more as a signal about where Varanasi now sits in its production cycle. Rajamouli has already said the biggest action blocks are complete. That means the remaining months can increasingly be devoted to stitching together the film's narrative architecture rather than continuing an endless spectacle-driven shoot.

For a project carrying such enormous expectations, this transition is crucial. The teaser can sell scale, but the theatrical film has to make audiences care about the characters connecting those visuals. The reported six-song structure and the early start to the background score suggest that music will be part of that connective tissue rather than an afterthought.

There is also a useful distinction between “shoot completed” and “film completed.” Even if principal photography wraps in October, Varanasi will still require extensive editing, VFX, sound design, scoring and final finishing. Given the project's international visual ambitions, the post-production window could ultimately be just as important as the shooting schedule. That is where Rajamouli's biggest challenge begins: converting an enormous collection of spectacle into a film that feels like one complete journey.