S. S. Rajamouli’s ambitious film “Varanasi”, starring Mahesh Babu and Priyanka Chopra, is currently progressing at a brisk pace.
In a recent interview to a Hollywood media outlet, Mahesh Babu revealed interesting details about his role. He plays a character named Rudhra, a bounty hunter. At the same time, he will also be seen in another timeline as Lord Rama.
It is now confirmed that the film deals with two timelines: Treta Yuga, the era of Lord Rama, and the present day. The core plot revolves around how Rudhra travels back in time to Treta Yuga, making time travel a key element in this story conceptualised by Rajamouli.
This setup has drawn comparisons with Nag Ashwin’s “Kalki 2898 AD”, starring Prabhas. That film also featured a dual timeline narrative. Set in a dystopian version of Varanasi, it introduced Prabhas as a bounty hunter, while also presenting a mythological connection to the Mahabharata, where he appeared as Karna.
The similarities in basic themes — a bounty hunter protagonist, multiple timelines, and mythological links — make the two projects appear alike at first glance.
However, Rajamouli is expected to present his story with a completely different narrative approach and scale. While Nag Ashwin is currently working on the sequel to “Kalki 2898 AD”, Rajamouli’s “Varanasi” is slated for release in April 2027.
