Panel of SS Rajamouli's Varanasi at Mexico Comic Con sees empty seats; internet calls it 'embarrassing'

SS Rajamouli's Varanasi began its global promotions with a panel at CCXP, Mexico, attended by producer SS Karthikeya.

SS Rajamouli’s upcoming film, Varanasi, began its global promotions this week with a panel at CCXP in Mexico, a global pop culture event. SS Karthikeya, one of the producers of the film, spoke about the film on stage at the event and also unveiled never-before-seen footage from the film on Friday. However, visuals from the event show largely empty seats during the film’s panel.

Mahesh Babu-starrer Varanasi was showcased at the CCXP in Mexico.

Varanasi at CCXP, Mexico

CCXP, formerly known as Comic Con Experience, is a global pop culture convention where the biggest films in the world are promoted. This year, Varanasi is joined by heavyweight titles like Avengers: Doomsday and Dune Part Three at the event. The Varanasi panel at the event marks the beginning of the film’s global promotions, months after the first look was unveiled in Hyderabad last year.

The panel was moderated by ScreenRant’s Liam Crowley, who spoke with producer SS Karthikeya about the film’s scale and vision. Director SS Rajamouli spoke to the audience via a video message, discussing Mexican influences in Baahubali and the global fanfare RRR received. This was followed by the screening of unseen footage and BTS glimpses from Varanasi.

Empty seats, viewers walking out?

A still from the panel discussion was shared on Instagram by an attendee that showed Karthikeya on stage as an asset played, However, what was noticeable was the empty seats in the front. Sharing the image on X (formerly Twitter), one Indian film fan 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, reposted by the Varanasi film account as well, showed Rajamouli talking about Baahubali and RRR in a video message. The visuals showed people walking out and milling around even as the video played. One cine account lamented, “#Varanasi & #Ramayana seem heavily tilted toward Western markets, while the real powerhouse -Indian audience is being taken for granted. Meanwhile, latest visuals show people walking out during Varanasi BTS at Mexico Comic Con. Signals aren’t great.” Several others commented that the lack of interest for the film was ‘surprising’ given how big a rage Rajamouli’s previous film, RRR, was in the West.

Fans defend Varansi

However, many fans defended the panel, saying the visuals only showed half the picture. Others posted pictures of Karthikeya posing with Liam Crowley after the panel, showing crowd seated and standing behind them. Others pointed out that the seats were empty for other panels as well, and not just for Varanasi.

One commented below the video claiming people are ‘walking out’ of the Varanasi panel, saying it showed “people trying to find their seats”.

All about Varanasi

Directed by Rajamouli and written by Vijayendra Prasad, Varanasi is a time-travel adventure that blends Indian mythology and history with science fiction. It stars Mahesh Babu, Priyanka Chopra, and Prithviraj Sukumaran in the lead roles. The pan-India film is set to release in theatres in April 2027.