Rajamouli’s Varanasi on the lines of Kalki

Time travel seems to be the new formula filmmakers are betting on. SS Rajamouli’s much hyped and keenly anticipated Varanasi is mounted as a sweeping adventure across timelines and continents, inevitably drawing comparisons with Kalki 2898 AD. But is the filmmaker revisiting familiar terrain?With the film’s trailer unveiled in November and posters across Varanasi announcing its release in April 2027, the film’s plot has now been revealed.“While Kalki 2898 AD was set in a near dystopian future, Varanasi travels in the opposite direction. The narrative moves across multiple yugas — from Treta Yuga to Kali Yuga — while also spanning continents, from Antarctica to Africa. In scale and spirit, it feels like a mythological globetrotting adventure, reminiscent of an Indiana Jones style quest rooted in Indian history and philosophy,” says an informed source.Mahesh Babu plays Rudhra, an adventurer and a devoted follower of Shiva, tasked with finding powerful cosmic artefacts scattered across eras. Priyanka Chopra essays Mandakini, a fearless woman navigating the modern era, while Prithviraj Sukumaran plays the antagonist.The film’s synopsis further confirms the same.It reads “When an asteroid hits the city of Varanasi in India, what are the events that it leads to? Is the world about to be doomed? Does it need a saviour who must traverse continents and timelines to influence the most crucial moment in the history of Earth?”“Time travel has long been a popular narrative device in Japanese, Chinese and Korean cinema, but it has been sparingly explored on Indian screens. Given Rajamouli’s long standing fascination with Indian mythology and epic storytelling, it would be wonderful to see his vision unfold on screens,” says an industry source.Highlights:“While Kalki 2898 AD was set in a near dystopian future, Varanasi travels in the opposite direction. The narrative moves across multiple yugas — from Treta Yuga to Kali Yuga — while also spanning continents, from Antarctica to Africa. In scale and spirit, it feels like a mythological globetrotting adventure.”A sourceMahesh Babu plays Rudhra, an adventurer and a devoted follower of Shiva, tasked with finding powerful cosmic artefacts scattered across eras. Priyanka Chopra essays Mandakini, a fearless woman navigating the modern era, while Prithviraj Sukumaran plays the antagonist.“Time travel has long been a popular narrative device in Japanese, Chinese and Korean cinema, but it has been sparingly explored on Indian screens. Given Rajamouli’s long standing fascination with Indian mythology and epic storytelling, it would be wonderful to see his vision unfold on screens,” says an industry source.



Source link