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Rs 1300 crore Varanasi budget: Reported salaries of all stars

With its huge budget, strong cast, and Rajamouli’s large scale vision, Varanasi is shaping up to be one of the biggest Indian films ever made

Hyderabad: SS Rajamouli is returning with a massive adventure film titled Varanasi. The project stars Mahesh Babu, Priyanka Chopra, and Prithviraj Sukumaran. The title and teaser were revealed at a grand event at Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad, where fans saw the scale of this time travel story.

A Mythology Inspired Global Adventure

The teaser shows scenes from Varanasi, Antarctica, Kenya, 512 CE, 2027 CE, and even the Treta Yuga. Mahesh Babu appears as Rudhra. Priyanka Chopra plays Mandakini, and Prithviraj Sukumaran appears as Kumbha. Rajamouli revealed that one major sequence inspired by the Ramayana took 60 days to shoot and was one of his most challenging scenes ever.

Varanasi movie budget

Reports suggest that Varanasi is being made with a budget over Rs 1300 crore. This places it among the most expensive Indian films, second only to Ramayana. The film is planned for a Sankranti 2027 release.

Varanasi Cast Salaries

Media reports have shared the following details. None are officially confirmed.

Mahesh Babu

  •  No upfront salary
  •  40 percent profit sharing deal

SS Rajamouli

  •  No upfront fee
  •  30 to 40 percent profit sharing deal

Priyanka Chopra

  •  Reported salary of Rs 30 crore
  •  Highest paid Indian actress based on this amount

Prithviraj Sukumaran

  •  Usually charges Rs 4 crore to Rs 10 crore
  •  Reported to earn more than Rs 10 crore for Varanasi

With its huge budget, strong cast, and Rajamouli’s large scale vision, Varanasi is shaping up to be one of the biggest Indian films ever made. Fans are now waiting for more updates as the film moves toward its 2027 release.

This post was last modified on November 24, 2025 6:39 pm

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Chandra Mouli

Chandra Mouli is a Hyderabad-based journalist and sub-editor at Siasat.com. Specializing in entertainment, he covers Tollywood, Bollywood, television, and lifestyle, while also writing movie reviews.

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