Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Rajamouli’s ‘Varanasi’ Reveals Hyderabad Megaset and 36-Foot Motion-Capture Stage

The reveal signals India’s bid to pair vast practical sets with homegrown performance-capture technology.

Overview

  • Fresh photos and on-set reports published Tuesday show a near life-size Kashi rebuilt in Hyderabad, with a replica riverfront and lanes spanning roughly 700 by 400 feet at about 70% scale.
  • Rajamouli inaugurated and used a new A&M motion-capture stage at Annapurna Studios built with Mihira Visual Labs and Animatrik, delivering a rare 36-foot capture volume for a sequence running close to 25 minutes.
  • The team built a full-size Ratneshwar Mahadev–inspired temple, buried it for present-day scenes, and will raise it later to depict earlier eras to keep the city’s changing timelines physically real.
  • Production remains under tight guard as new buildings overlook the rented site, and Rajamouli says the set will be demolished after filming rather than preserved for visitors.
  • The time-travel epic stars Mahesh Babu, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and Prithviraj Sukumaran, spans from 7,200 BCE to 2027, and is slated for a worldwide theatrical release on April 7, 2027.