Varanasi In 2 Parts? Why Filming in IMAX?

India’s biggest Director Rajamouli is currently working with Mahesh Babu for Varanasi, which happens to be one of his most anticipated projects in the making. In the meanwhile, he has revealed a series of interesting details about the project and let us have a look at the same.

Rajamouli has revealed why his upcoming epic film Varanasi is being specially filmed for IMAX screens. The movie, starring Mahesh Babu, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and Prithviraj Sukumaran, will use the full IMAX format to capture its massive scale.

Rajamouli said the IMAX format is needed to show the film’s huge, tall visuals properly. “The format is to encompass the scale,” he explained.

For example, the Antarctica scenes feature vast icy landscapes and vertical icebergs, while the Ramayana-inspired portions include grand, towering mythological elements. These “tall and vertical” shots demand the bigger, taller IMAX screen so nothing gets cut off and viewers feel fully immersed.

Unlike his earlier films like Baahubali and RRR, which were adapted for IMAX later, Varanasi is shot natively in the true 1.43:1 IMAX ratio. This makes it the first Indian film to do so, promising a more powerful big-screen experience.

The director also confirmed Varanasi is a single film, not split into two parts like Baahubali. It will run about 3 hours and tell a complete globetrotting story blending ancient mythology, time-spanning adventure, and modern action across places like Antarctica, Africa, and Varanasi.

The film is set for worldwide release on April 7, 2027, in IMAX and regular theaters. Fans are excited for what Rajamouli calls his most ambitious project yet.