Rajamouli Rules Out Sequel for ‘Varanasi’

Ace director S S Rajamouli, who pioneered the sequel trend in Tollywood with the Baahubali franchise, has largely stayed away from follow-ups for his other blockbusters, including RRR. In a recent interaction with Hollywood media, the filmmaker revealed that his upcoming film Varanasi featuring Mahesh Babu and Priyanka Chopra, was also briefly considered as a two-part project.

However, the idea was dropped at an early stage, with the team deciding to narrate the entire story in a single film. “Rajamouli probably felt that stretching the narrative purely for franchise-building would not serve the story,” says a leading distributor, adding, “The ace filmmaker believes every story has its own limitations and should not be expanded unnecessarily for commercial reasons.”