The highly anticipated reveal of the title and the first look of S. S. Rajamouli’s newest enormous project, which has been officially named ‘Varanasi’, has received a lot of attention and revealed the main cast, Mahesh Babu and Priyanka Chopra, and was at the same time spoiled by a huge digital mistake.
A few hours before the big ‘GlobeTrotter’ event in Hyderabad, a very short, but very explosive, clip, which was supposed to be the film’s official teaser, began to spread very quickly all over the social media. The video, which was not authorized, was reportedly filmed by either the audience at the event or by a drone during the technical check of the giant screen at Ramoji Film City.
#GlobeTrotter first half of the trailer @urstrulyMahesh #Varanasi pic.twitter.com/9X5UCkYO5v
— 𝕍𝔸ℝ𝕊ℍ𝔸𝔹𝕋𝕊 (@varshabts999) November 15, 2025
The leak has caused a lot of excitement among the fans who got a very early albeit very partial look at the film’s spectacular scale which combines mythological action and a daring, time-traveling story. Director Rajamouli expressed his frustration regarding the leak by stating that the hard work of hundreds of members of the crew was wasted due to one unauthorized video recording.
At the occasion, director ss Rajamouli of Varanasi spoke about the trailer leak video that was uploaded to the web just before the great Globetrotter event. He stated, “We used 45 generators to make the screen bright. Our video was scheduled to be tested last night, we worked till after midnight, till 2 AM. We don’t know where the audience appeared from. They began to fly drones and capture the footage. It is a year of hard work of a large number of people, thousands of manpower and crores of rupees. People worked the whole day and night for this. It was the reason that we didn’t even get the chance to test our video. Then we decided to take a risk. People traveled from such a distance, we wanted this to be nothing less than perfect.”
Rudhra’s Fierce First Look: The Mahesh Babu Factor
Intense discussions have ever since the leaked snippet and the official reveal have placed the actor Mahesh Babu who plays ‘Rudhra’ in the forthcoming film in a new fierce avatar.
#Varanasi #GlobeTrotter #MaheshBabu #SSRajamouli pic.twitter.com/rmCEDubN6o
— Tamil Movies (@KollywoodByte) November 15, 2025
The visuals are highly saturated and mythic in tone superstar reveals himself in an unprecedented look: blood-smeared, with a trishul (trident) in hand, and riding a bull that is charging amidst what looks like an ancient temple in ruins. Such a powerful portrayal set social media on fire instantly; the fans declared it the most intense and grand look of his career.
The religious and mythological motifs are very vivid, especially the trident and the bull (Nandi) which the latter signifies, and they are suggestive of a very dramatic story deeply embedded in Indian mythology that has moved far beyond Mahesh Babu’s recent film characters.
The Epic Scale and ‘TimeTrotter’ Mystery
The leaks and official sources have provided a small glimpse of the astonishing size of the production, which is said to have a budget comparable to the highest in Indian cinema.
The trailer nevertheless highlighted Mahesh Babu’s Rudhra in a very powerful way and at the same time gave a glimpse of the stunning visuals covering the different times and places very subtly. The film goes back to the times of ancient places and simultaneously brings up today’s crises, making the audience think about a storyline of an asteroid named Shambhavi striking the Earth connecting it to the ancient city of Varanasi (512 CE) and ice-strewn places like Antarctica.
Also Read: Varanasi Movie Cast Revealed: Meet the Stars of the Upcoming Film
A recent media graduate, Bhumi Vashisht is currently making a significant contribution as a committed content writer. She brings new ideas to the media sector and is an expert at creating strategic content and captivating tales, having working in the field from past four months.
