SS Rajamouli breaks silence on Mahesh Babu led ‘Varanasi’ sequel rumors, reveals runtime: 'It’s one complete film'

Ever since ‘Baahubali’ revolutionized the Indian film industry, the audience has expected SS Rajamouli's films to be one of several installments. But now, amid this expectation, SS Rajamouli has made a decision with ‘Varanasi’ where he has clearly stated that the film will not be divided into two parts but will be released as a single film. This is a complete departure from what has been conventionally considered as the ‘Rajamouli fabric' by many.During the first glimpse event of 'Varanasi', Rajamouli directly addressed the sequel question with Screen Rant Plus. He said the team briefly thought about making the film in two parts but dropped the idea quickly. “It’s one film,” he said firmly. He also spoke about the runtime and cleared more rumours. The film, he explained, will be around three hours long. Not a long multi-part epic. With this, he ended all talk about Part 1 and Part 2 and confirmed that 'Varanasi' will tell its story in a single film. Rajamouli became popular worldwide because of both ‘Baahubali: The Beginning’ and ‘Baahubali: The Conclusion’. Indian cinema went international with ‘RRR’ and also won an Oscar for the ‘Naatu Naatu’ song. After these blockbuster films, people are expecting sequels to his next films and even speculating about his future films. However, 'Varanasi' contradicted that. It’s the first single-part film after ‘Eega’ (2012), indicating his creativity focused on single-part films.'Varanasi' features Maheshi Babu, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and Prithviraj Sukumaran as the main cast. Mahesh Babu plays the character Rudhra, and there's a strong buzz of him featuring as Lord Ram as well. Priyanka Chopra plays the role of Mandakini, and Prithivraj Sukumaran plays the antagonist, Kumbha. With the sequel chance now squelched, we will see 'Varanasi' now as a single unified strong cinematic experience.