Renowned filmmaker S.S. Rajamouli, who delivered blockbuster spectacles such as Magadheera, Baahubali and RRR, is currently directing his next ambitious project titled Varanasi. The film, featuring an ensemble cast including Prithviraj Sukumaran, Mahesh Babu and Priyanka Chopra, is expected to be released in 2027. Promotional activities for the film have already begun.

As part of the promotions, the lead actors spoke about their experiences during filming in an interview with YouTube channel Collider. Prithviraj Sukumaran, who plays the antagonist Kumbha in Varanasi, spoke in detail about the physical and emotional challenges of portraying the character.

Kumbha is a wheelchair-bound character with no movement in his arms or legs. Prithviraj revealed that special restraints were used during filming to ensure absolute stillness, preventing even involuntary movement.

“I was locked into a special mechanism so that I wouldn’t move my limbs even accidentally. If a fly landed on my nose, I couldn’t do anything. The wheelchair was designed in a similar way,” the actor said.

He described Kumbha as an extremely dangerous yet deeply helpless character, a contrast that added complexity to the role.

Prithviraj also recalled a particularly challenging sequence involving a long monologue delivered by the villain. During the shoot, flies repeatedly landed on his face, including his nose, but he was unable to move because of the restraints.

“In that shot, the one thing he must have prayed for the most was that no fly would come near him,” Mahesh Babu remarked humorously during the interview, adding that the prayers seemed to have been answered.

Varanasi is expected to be one of Rajamouli’s most technically demanding films to date, with high anticipation surrounding its scale, performances and storytelling.