25 Minutes Of Varanasi Costing 300 Cr?

Mahesh Babu and Rajamouli are collaborating for Varanasi, which happens to be one of the costliest projects in the making in Indian cinema. Now the discussion about the overwhelming budget of this film and the logistics of the same.

Apparently, there is this one particular Treta Yuga sequence in Varanasi that is reportedly casting the team in the vicinity of ₹250 - ₹300 crores which is a very big deal.

To recreate the Rama era, filmmakers would need massive sets, large battle sequences, advanced VFX, and detailed costume design. Grand palaces, forests, war scenes, and divine weapons cannot look artificial. They need world class CGI similar to what we saw in Baahubali: The Beginning, but on an even higher scale and with better quality control.

A single high quality VFX shot today can cost lakhs or even crores depending on complexity. Now imagine thousands of such shots packed into just 25 minutes.

Add to that action choreography, motion capture work, crowd simulation, background score with a live orchestra, and top tier actors’ remuneration.

Also, mythological storytelling demands authenticity. Jewelry, weapons, architecture, and even body language need research and detailing. That increases production design costs heavily.

So if the makers truly aim for Hollywood level visuals and emotional depth, 250 to 300 crore for just that Tretayuga portion does not sound exaggerated. It would be one of the most expensive sequences ever attempted in Indian cinema.