Baahubali producer schools X user claiming Mahesh Babu's Varanasi glimpse can be made using AI: ‘Insult to artists’

After the first glimpse of Varanasi was released last year, many wondered if SS Rajamouli used AI. Those rumours have now been put to rest.

Ever since SS Rajamouli dropped the first glimpse of his Mahesh Babu, Priyanka Chopra and Prithviraj Sukumaran-starrer Varanasi last year, many wondered if he used AI to generate the visuals in the video. When an X (formerly Twitter) user suggested that the glimpse could easily be made using AI by the time the film releases, Baahubali producer Shobu Yarlagadda schooled him.

Baahubali producer schools X user on AI usage for Varanasi

Mahesh Babu will play the lead role in SS Rajamouli's time travel film Varanasi.

Rajamouli recently gave an interview where he clarified that it took weeks for artists to create a 3-minute glimpse of Varanasi last year. Responding to that, an X user wrote, “Thinking AI generated as an insult will look funny when we look back 5 years from now. By the release of Varanasi, AI video Gen will be so advanced that you can create Varanasi glimpse from your laptop using Higgsfield/Kling or directly from @grok Imagine. AI will be another tool for VFX artists and will be the first tool for pre visualization saving hours of manual work, more faster iterations.”

He also added, “AI will be another tool for VFX artists and will be the first tool for pre visualization saving hours of manual work, more faster iterations" Your next statement above is true and will help artists create high-quality content faster. You are talking about two absolutely different things in the same breath.

What did SS Rajamouli say?

In an interview with Polygon, Rajamouli shut down rumours that AI was used to make Varanasi glimpse. He said, “It was October when my artists started drawing lines of the teaser — for a three-minute teaser. And from then until the last day before we released it, the artists were working relentlessly day and night. For the last three weeks, I don't know many artists had a good night's sleep while working on this teaser. And to say that it's AI generated would be a huge insult to their artistic genius. Every single frame took 20 hours to render. That's how hard they worked on it.”

Varanasi stars Mahesh Babu, Priyanka Chopra and Prithviraj Sukumaran in lead roles as Rudhra, Mandakini and Kumbha. It will be released in theatres on April 7, 2027.