‘Varanasi’, ‘Jana Nayagan’, ‘Kalki 2898 AD’: How pre-release events are getting grander

Not just the content itself, but its marketing has been a key factor in creating a buzz and excitement among audiences for a film. Along with star power in the cast and the director's chair, every big movie today demands a pre-release event that creates noise before it hits the big screens, as these events have become mini-celebrations of the movie itself. A recent example is SS Rajamouli's upcoming film 'Varanasi', which has been in production and has been in the news after hosting one of the biggest promotional events of the year, unveiling the title and the first look of Mahesh Babu in front of thousands of fans.

SS Rajamouli’s grand vision on a grand stage

SS Rajamouli is known for his grand films and conducted a huge event for the teaser of his upcoming Globetrotter. Held at Ramoji Film City, it was an event of grand screen, high-quality visuals, glamour and live interpretation of the teaser. Key cast members including Mahesh Babu, Priyanka Chopra and Prithviraj Sukumaran were present at the event.


Mahesh Babu's entry became the talking point of the night as the first look of his character was revealed on giant screens with the background score shaking the venue. The teaser of the film was shown on a 130 ft x 100 ft screen.

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Bringing the teaser to life

Like the Tollywood superstar is seen riding on a bull in the teaser, Mahesh Babu's entry at the GlobeTrotter event, he rode a massive mechanical bull, holding a trident and wearing a brown coloured shirt and a Nandi pendant. The makers of the film also shared a behind-the-scenes video of the team as they were preparing for Mahesh Babu’s entry. SS Rajamouli can be seen supervising Mahesh Babu's bull entry ensuring the mechanical bull moved exactly as he had pictured by overseeing the design, rigging, and test runs.

The BTS video shows his team making the prop from scratch in a soundstage, with Rajamouli coordinating technicians for speed rails, ramps, and massive structures at Ramoji Film City. He personally supervised the execution of the trident and Nandi bull to match Mahesh Babu's Rudhra character.

Stars owning their characters at live events

Earlier in September, Pawan Kalyan, during the pre-release event of his movie 'They Call Him OG', made an eye-catching entry as he wielded a Kantara sword. During the event, Pawan Kalyan also credited the director of the film, Sujeeth, for his idea for Pawan Kalyan to make his presence at the event in his character as Ojas Gambheera and he wore a black outfit.

"I almost forgot I was the Deputy Chief Minister today because Sujeeth made me feel like Ojas Gambheera," Pawan Kalyan said. "Have you ever wondered or seen a Deputy CM walk around with a sword? Since it’s a movie, I can walk," he added.

A global celebration

Recently, the makers of Thalapathy Vijay starrer ‘Jana Nayagan’ held an audio launch event in Malaysia and the event entered the Malaysia Book of Records for the largest attendance at a Tamil film audio launch outside India. The event enjoyed a massive turnout of fans of over 75,000 fans, as the film will be his last cinematic outing in the lead role. The makers of the film told, “Malaysia became the center of a cinematic celebration at the Jana Nayagan audio launch, highlighting Vijay Sir’s iconic bond with his fans. The Malaysia Book of Records honor elevates this journey into history. The trailer has further magnified the excitement, fueling a global countdown to January 9, 2026.”



Earlier in 2024, we also saw the makers of the mythological sci-fi film, ‘Kalki 2898 AD’. The event unveiled the futuristic AI-powered race car, which was seen as Prabhas' character Bhairava's sidekick, ‘Bujji’ in the movie. The event saw Prabhas driving the car in front of the fans and also performing a stunt lap around the venue.

It is safe to say that grand pre-release events also show how cinema has become an integral part of festival celebrations, not just in the theatre, but also outside and before a movie’s release.

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