Varanasi, GlobeTrotter Event 5 Big Highlights: Mahesh Babu's Introduction As Rudhra To Priyanka Chopra's Telugu Greeting

SS Rajamouli unveiled the first look of the ambitious movie Varanasi in a larger-than-life event in Ramoji Film City, Hyderabad, on November 15. The first look of the movie was revealed amid much anticipation and a massive fanfare, with over 50,000 people in attendance. The ace filmmaker, who has previously delivered global blockbusters with Baahubali films and RRR, was also present at the event with the lead cast, Priyanka Chopra, Mahesh Babu and Prithviraj Sukumaran.

Held on the death anniversary of the film's lead star, Mahesh Babu's father, Ghattamaneni Siva Rama Krishna Murthy, aka Krishna, the Globetrotter event soon became the talking point on social media. Netizens widely shared clips and photos from the event on X and other social media platforms. At the time of publishing, there were 34K posts from the Globetrotter event on X (formerly Twitter) with 129K mentions of the film's previous name, SSMB29 and 513K mentions of the newly revealed title, Varanasi. Here are the 5 biggest moments from the event that have got social media talking.

1. Much-awaited title and teaser reveal

The biggest anticipation for the fans of SS Rajamouli was the title of the film, until now referred to as SSMB29 and then Globetotter. Amid speculations, the makers confirmed that the pan-India movie will be called Varanasi. At the venue, a 110-by-130-foot (33.5-by-39.5-meter) screen flanked by replicas of Varanasi city.

Apart from the title, the first look teaser of the movie was also shown at the event. While other details have been kept under wraps, the nearly four-minute video showed a visually rich time-travel adventure that draws parts of its storyline from Hindu mythology. The film borrows its title from the Indian city considered Hinduism’s spiritual heart, as per AP News. The makers confirmed that Varanasi has been shot for IMAX projections, and the teaser is now viral on social media. While the teaser has received mostly positive responses, a select section of social media users has criticised the VFX in the Varanasi teaser.

2. Priyanka Chopra's OTT look and Telugu greeting 

Varanasi will also mark the return of Priyanka Chopra to Indian cinema following her last Bollywood outing, The Sky Is Pink, in 2019. For the event, held in Hyderabad, the ‘Desi Girl’ flew down from the United States of America, where she resides with her husband Nick Jonas and daughter Malti Marie. The actress donned a white lehenga, draped as a half-saree and adorned it with several jewellery pieces, keeping up with her look in the period drama.

While her look and scene from Varanasi were not included in the tease, Priyanka's clips from the event have gone viral online. The actress won the hearts of fans in the Southern Indian city by greeting them with  “Thagala petteddama?" which is the Telugu for Should we set fire?. Sharing her anticipation, she added, “As I’m sure you’ve already noticed, I’m so happy to be back making this movie in my beloved India. The best and only way to do Telugu cinema is to do it with the greats.”

3. Mahesh Babu's larger-than-life entry and first look as Trident-bearing Rudhra

SS Rajamouli is known for bringing larger-than-life scenes to screens. However, the filmmaker did not stop there. Fans witnessed a glimpse of the drama at the Globetrotter as well when the lead actor rode a mechanical bull on stage. This mirrored his introduction as Rudhra in the teaser of Varanasi. The first look of the actor, who will be playing Rudhra in the film, was shown riding an ox while holding a trishul.

Also Read: Mahesh Babu Superfan Travels 6,817 Km To Attend GlobeTrotter Event 

4. SS Rajamouli slams leaks, apologises for technical glitches 

Despite the top-notch arrangements, the Varanasi teaser could not be played on the big screen at the scheduled time. Director SS Rajamouli apologised to the attendees for the delay and shared that they could not test the preview by playing it on screen beforehand, fearing leaks. He said, “Yesterday night we did not test the glimpse on this screen because a drone was flying here, trying to leak our one-year-long hard work. We took a chance, and now the power is not sufficient to play the glimpse. It might take ten more minutes."

Also Read: SSMB29 GlobeTrotter Event: SS Rajamouli’s Film Titled Varanasi 

Slamming unauthorised filming on the event venue, SS Rajamouli added, "We ambitiously decided to set up this massive LED screen and brought in the best LED panels. To power it all, we needed more than 45 generators. Yesterday, we were supposed to test everything: the cranes, the black cloth, the video. During the test, someone started capturing drone footage and uploaded our content onto social media as if it were from Netflix. That is one year of our hard work, thousands of hours by hundreds of people, and crores of Rupees all leaked because of one drone flying randomly. We couldn’t even test our video properly. We are scared of more leaks now. We took a risk, and it didn’t work. A power glitch is happening."

5. The release date update

While the teaser of Varanasi has garnered an overwhelmingly postive response, it has also left fans wanting more. At the event, SS Rajamouli and other members from the team confirmed that the movie is eyeing a Sankranthi 2027 release. 

Also Read: Technical Glitches Throw SS Rajamouli’s Global Event Into Chaos