SS Rajamouli’s Varanasi is earning praise from French audiences after a glimpse of the upcoming film was screened at La Cinémathèque Française in Paris on Friday.
Varanasi stars Mahesh Babu, Prithviraj Sukumaran and Priyanka Chopra in lead roles.
The exclusive preview was unveiled following a special screening of RRR at the venue.
Sharing a video from the theatre capturing audiences’ reaction, the official Instagram handle of the film wrote, “The reactions keep telling the same story wherever we go...This time from Cinémathèque Française.”
The teaser offered a first glimpse of Mahesh Babu’s character against the backdrop of Varanasi, featuring him riding a cow. Mahesh Babu’s character in the film is called Rudhra, who is described as a globetrotter and a timetrotter.
The preview was met with applause and cheers from the audience.
Written by Vijayendra Prasad, Varanasi is billed as a time-travel adventure blending Indian mythology, history and science fiction.
The film marks S.S. Rajamouli’s first collaboration with Prithviraj Sukumaran and Mahesh Babu.
The production for the film began in April 2025, and the filming reportedly took place in Kenya and Andhra Pradesh’s Borra Caves.
In April, Varanasi kicked off its global promotional campaign with a panel at CCXP in Mexico, where previously unseen footage from the film was unveiled.
Varanasi also marks Priyanka’s return to Indian cinema after 2019’s The Sky is Pink, which also starred Farhan Akhtar. Varanasi is scheduled to release in theatres in April, 2027.