SS Rajamouli's justification for shooting Varanasi in IMAX reveals more than a technical preference. It reflects a filmmaking philosophy built around scale.
Speaking to a French magazine, the Baahubali maker revealed that the Mahesh Babu-starrer will feature Antarctic ice walls and Roman armies representing two different kinds of vastness: natural and human-made. Both need space to breathe on screen. A standard frame compresses that grandeur. Which is why the RRR maker chose a format that does justice to the grandeur.
This isn't new for India's highest-paid filmmaker. His previous works thrived on visual excess. Waterfalls, battle formations, VFX-ed animal-human conflict, towering statues. He has consistently treated scale itself as a character in his stories. There is also a commercial calculation here. IMAX screenings command marketing buzz. As soon as the trailer for Varanasi drops, the international media is going to highlight the fact that the movie was filmed on IMAX.
Just about 20% of Varanasi's production is pending. Almost all crucial action scenes have been shot already. CGI and other works have been carried out. April 7, 2027 is when the film will arrive at the cinemas.
