SS Rajamouli’s Varanasi is one of the most anticipated films of 2027 and the expectations are sky high. The film also marks Priyanka Chopra’s return to the Indian cinemas after a hiatus of 6 years. However, the film may not be getting the attention makers hoped, as a Varanasi panel at CCXP in Mexico, a global pop culture event, had many empty seats.

SS Rajamouli’s upcoming film Varanasi kicked off its global promotions this week with a panel at CCXP in Mexico. Producer SS Karthikeya spoke about the project on stage and unveiled never-before-seen footage on Friday. However, it looks like not many attended the event.

CCXP, formerly known as Comic Con Experience, is a global pop culture convention where some of the biggest films in the world are promoted. Varanasi got a slot with films like Avengers: Doomsday and Dune Part Three at the event. This event marked the beginning of Varanasi's promotions.

Moderated by Liam Crowley of ScreenRant, the session also featured a video message from director SS Rajamouli. The director spoke about Mexican influences in Baahubali and the global acclaim of his last hit film RRR. This was followed by a screening of unseen footage and behind-the-scenes glimpses from Varanasi. However, there were not many present to witness the mega-event.

Soon fans started commenting on the video circulating on social media. One user pointed out, “This is really Embarrassing, SSR Represented India on a Global Scale and Audience at Mexico Comic con are not giving deserved importance to Varanasi. The Empty seats convey everything,” another pointed out that this a PR campaign against Priyanka’s film. The comment read, “Oh my goddd!! Huge PR activated successfully against VARANASI.”

Another comment read, "Audience is king at the end. We can't force them to like particular content. Its not their job. If it doesn't click with them then it doesn't. As simple as that. They are not bound by morals to give fair chance to every film. Its a matter of taste and liking."

"Why would anyone want to listen speech of an Indian director," wrote another netizen.

#VIDEO | El director S. S. Rajamouli envió un video con un mensaje especial para sus fans CCXP México 2026, donde se presentó un primer adelanto de “Varanasi”… #GENTE
🎥 Jacqueline Ponce León pic.twitter.com/kvVPGWKLrX

— REFORMA (@Reforma) April 25, 2026

This is really Embarrassing, SSR Represented India on a Global Scale and Audience at Mexico Comic con are not giving deserved importance to Varanasi.

The Empty seats conveys everything….. https://t.co/gV0BMFBfb5

— KBP Reviews🏹 (@KshitizCritic) April 25, 2026

As per reports, Varanasi is being produced on a massive budget of around Rs 1300 crore and stars Prakash Raj in a pivotal role.

Previously, in an episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Priyanka Chopra shared details about the massive scale and timeline of the production.

Credit: Sri Durga Arts

She said, “I haven't done an Indian movie in almost like six or seven years and this movie is called Varanasi and is directed by SS Rajamouli, who's one of India's most amazingly talented directors and it's going to be an adventure. I'm very excited about it. It will be released on April 7, 2027. We've shot in IMAX format. So it's going to be for IMAX theatres. It's going to be great.”