Mahesh Babu’s birthday brought a major update from the team of SS Rajamouli’s ‘Varanasi’, with the makers releasing new images featuring the actor as his character Rudhra.
The photographs offer a closer look at the protagonist and were captured during the film’s schedule in Africa. The production travelled to locations including the Kilimanjaro region and the Masai Mara, with the surrounding landscapes becoming a prominent part of the newly released visuals.
In the images, Mahesh appears against vast stretches of wilderness, including a frame in which Rudhra looks across the African landscape and another showing him on a bamboo raft.
The makers have described Rudhra as a character driven by a purpose larger than himself. He is portrayed as a combination of humour, vulnerability and physical intensity, with Mahesh bringing together those contrasting qualities.
The film has so far kept much of its storyline under wraps. However, a plot outline reportedly surfaced through Gulte, offering possible details about the film’s premise.
According to the reported synopsis, the story is set in 2027, when an asteroid called Shambhavi threatens a catastrophic collision with Varanasi. Rudhra, described as an archaeologist and explorer, is recruited for an international mission involving the search for an ancient cosmic artefact.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas reportedly plays Mandakini, a historian and marksman who joins Rudhra on the mission. Their journey is said to extend across several continents, including Africa, Antarctica and Europe.
Prithviraj Sukumaran is reportedly set to play Kumbha, a technologically gifted antagonist who stands in the way of the protagonists.
The reported storyline combines mythology, archaeology, science fiction and an international adventure, with the ancient history of Varanasi apparently holding the key to preventing a future disaster.
‘Varanasi’, which also stars Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Prithviraj Sukumaran, is among the major Indian films being developed for a 2027 release.
