SS Rajamouli’s ‘Varanasi’ panel at Mexico Comic Con draws attention over empty seats; 'This is embarrassing'

SS Rajamouli’s upcoming film ‘Varanasi’ starring Mahesh Babu, Priyanka Chopra and Prithviraj Sukumaran, global promotions began with a panel at CCXP in Mexico. During the event, filmmaker SS Karthikeya spoke on stage about the film and showed new BTS footage from the movie. However, it started a buzz on the internet where people were discussing the many empty seats in the front rows, which can be seen during the panel.During the event, filmmaker SS Karthikeya spoke on stage about the film and showed new BTS footage from the movie. Some photos and videos from the event started a debate online. One image showed many empty seats in front rows during the panel. A fan on X (formerly Twitter) wrote, “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.” Another video showed people moving around while S. S. Rajamouli spoke in a recorded message. A user wrote, “#Varanasi & #Ramayana seem heavily tilted toward Western markets, while the real powerhouse -Indian audience is being taken for granted.”On the other hand, many fans said the clips do not show the full truth. Some shared other photos where people were sitting and standing behind the stage. They said seats were empty for other panels too. One person said people were not leaving, they were just finding seats. Fans asked others not to judge the film so early.Directed by SS Rajamouli, the movie is a large-scale time-travelling adventure thriller with Mahesh Babu playing the character Rudra. The movie stars Priyanka Chopra as Mandkini, the female lead and features Prithiviraj Sukumar as the main antagonist Kumbha. The film is reportedly being made on a massive budget of Rs 1400 crore. It is set to release on April 7, 2027.