Fresh footage from the sets of SS Rajamouli’s highly anticipated film Varanasi has surfaced online. The latest leak features Mahesh Babu in an intense, blood-soaked avatar at what appears to be one of Varanasi’s ghats. The video comes just days after footage from the film’s presumed Ugrabhatti Caves sequence was leaked.
The now-viral videos show Mahesh Babu filming what appears to be a high-octane action sequence. Covered in blood, the actor is seen walking towards the ghat before immersing himself in the river, seemingly after an intense fight scene.
Mahesh Babu’s rugged look has taken the excitement around the film a notch up.
Blood bath 🔥🔥
— RAM DHFM (@RKiran1432) August 6, 2026
Blood + water + Beard 🦁 global mothamm ni denguthunamm jai babuu😭😭😭🔥🔥 aa look nti babuuu death confirm❤️🔥💯#Varanasi #maheshbabu pic.twitter.com/m562NqhU6R
Director SS Rajamouli recently revealed that nearly 80 per cent of Varanasi has already been shot. He said the film, which spans multiple continents and time periods, now has only the remaining portions and smaller scenes left to film.
“The journey of Varanasi goes from Varanasi to Antarctica, then to Africa, then travels back in time to Ancient Rome, and finally returns to Varanasi. We’ve released a teaser, but I didn’t want to reveal too much because it wouldn't do justice to the film. Instead, we wanted to give audiences a glimpse of the experience without revealing the story,” Rajamouli said in a recent interview with European magazine Tsounami.
He added, “We started working on the story in 2022 after RRR was completed. It has been almost four and a half years. We’ve shot about 80 per cent of the film, with the remaining 20 per cent currently in progress. The biggest action sequences are already complete, and what’s left are the smaller scenes and the portions that connect everything.”
Rajamouli also confirmed that filming has resumed in Hyderabad, with the team aiming to wrap production before Dussehra.
The filmmaker further revealed that Varanasi will be the first non-English film to be shot entirely using IMAX cameras, marking another milestone for Indian cinema.
Varanasi stars Mahesh Babu, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and Prithviraj Sukumaran, marking Rajamouli’s first collaboration with the Telugu superstar. The film is scheduled for a worldwide theatrical release on April 7, 2027.
