S S Rajamouli announced his new epic Varanasi at a grand event at Hyderabad's Ramoji Film City over the weekend, and it is rumoured that the cost of the event alone was a staggering Rs 10 crore to 18 crore (Rs 100 million to Rs 180 million).
A source close to a cast member informs Subhash K Jha: "Both Mahesh Babu and Priyanka Chopra were paid Rs 2 crore (Rs 20 million) each to attend the event. Setting up an event of this magnitude was no easy task, so the overall cost was around Rs 15 crore (Rs 150 million)."
JioHostar reportedly paid about Rs 6 crore to rs 7 crore (Rs 60 million to Rs 70 million) for the telecast rights of the event.
"Which is not really much, if you look at the overall budget of Varanasi, which is around 600 crore (Rs 6 billion)," reveals the source.
The film's title was officially announced at the grand GlobeTrotter event. The teaser was shown on a huge screen, giving fans their first look at Mahesh Babu as Rudhra.
The teaser shows his character holding a trishul, covered in blood, while riding a bull.
In a first-of-its-kind move, Rajamouli launched the action-adventure film's teaser with a digital-first premiere. The first look and teaser streamed live on JioHotstar as part of the GlobeTrotter launch.
At the event, Priyanka wore an elegant lehenga-sari, paired with a statement necklace, maang tikka, bracelets, and a waist belt. She greeted fans with a Namaste and waved at the crowd.
In the film, Priyanka plays Mandakini while Prithviraj Sukumaran portrays Kumbha.
Varanasi is set to release during Sankranti 2027.
In a surprising comment, Rajamouli stated he was 'let down' by Hanuman when the event faced technical glitches.
'I don't believe in God. My dad said Lord Hanuman will take care of things. Is this how he takes care?'
The confession provoked netizens to protest.
A source close to the director defended him for speaking his mind.
"We don't have to be religious to make films on Gods and religion. Likewise, Raja's personal belief has no bearing on his cinema. But he should not have spoken about his personal religious beliefs at the event. We were all surprised," says the insider.
Just ahead of the GlobeTrotter event, Mahesh Babu paid tribute to his father, the late actor Ghattamaneni Krishna.
Taking to Instagram, he shared a throwback picture with his father, and wrote, 'Thinking of you a little more today... and knowing you'd be proud nanna.' Krishna passed away in Hyderabad on November 15, 2022.
With inputs from ANI
Photographs curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff
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