Varanasi plot leaked? Synopsis of SS Rajamouli film reveals Mahesh Babu's character will face betrayal

Varanasi, directed by SS Rajamouli, stars Mahesh Babu, Prithviraj Sukumaran, and Priyanka Chopra in the lead roles.

With exactly one year to go for the release of SS Rajamouli’s ambitious film, Varanasi, the buzz around it has begun. The film is touted to be a time-travelling adventure featuring Mahesh Babu in the lead role alongside Priyanka Chopra and Prithviraj Sukumaran. Since the first glimpse was unveiled last year, the plot and key details of the film have been kept under wraps. But now, a synopsis of the film, written by a VFX firm working on the movie, has apparently surfaced online, revealing key plot points.

In Varanasi, Mahesh Babu portrays Rudhra, a time-travelling adventurer.

Varanasi plot leaked?

The website of Cine Site, a VFX firm working on the Rajamouli film, has added it to its filmography section, with a poster and a brief synopsis, which reads: “A Shiva devotee embarks on a perilous quest across time to uncover a lost cosmic artifact of immense power. As he pieces together ancient secrets hidden through centuries, he realises the truth behind his mission—the very force that set him on this path is a calculating mastermind with a vision of absolute global domination. Forever. Unveiled.”

The Varanasi plot synopsis on the Cinesite website.

While much of what is written in the synopsis was shown in the first glimpse unveiled last year, it does have some new details. It shows that Mahesh Babu’s character Rudhra undertakes the time-travelling quest at the behest of Prithviraj Sukumaran’s Kumbha, before realising that he has ulterior motives. Kumbha is the film’s antagonist, and the synopsis reveals he is hell-bent on world domination by acquiring an artefact from the Ramayana era. The artefact’s identity is still hidden, though.

What is Cinseite?

Cinesite describes itself as ‘a leading entertainment service studio’, which uses ‘visual effects, animation and immersive, we turn bold ideas into audience experiences’. Established in 1991, it is one of the major visual effects and animation firms in Hollywood. Over the last decade, it has worked on major films and shows, including The Witcher, Aquaman, Thor: Love and Thunder, and Spider-Man: No Way Home. Its site shows it is also involved in big upcoming projects such as Masters of the Universe and Spider-Noir.

All about Varanasi

Directed by SS Rajamouli and written by Vijayendra Prasad, Varanasi is the filmmaker’s first film since the global sensation RRR. Starring Mahesh Babu, Prithviraj, and Priyanka Chopra, the film blends mythology and Indian cultural folk tales with sci-fi elements like time travel to give a ‘globe-trotting’ adventure. Varanasi is set to release in theatres in April 2027.