Priyanka Chopra is taking on an extra acting challenge for S.S. Rajamouli’s upcoming Varanasi: performing in Telugu even though she does not speak or understand the language.
The actress recently opened up about what the experience has been like while working on the massive upcoming film, which is currently being shot around the world and is expected to release in April 2027.
While Chopra has worked across different film industries and languages throughout her career, Telugu presents a new challenge.
When asked whether she was learning the language for Varanasi, Chopra explained that she would not necessarily call what she is doing “learning” Telugu.
“I’m phonetically memorizing my words and saying them,” she explained, adding that Telugu is not a language she understands or speaks.
That process becomes even more complicated when a scene changes in the moment.
Chopra said improvising can be particularly difficult because she cannot simply respond naturally in Telugu when working opposite an actor speaking in his mother tongue. Instead, she relies heavily on director S.S. Rajamouli to guide her through the dialogue.
If there is improvisation, Chopra said Rajamouli will phonetically give her the new dialogue. She then takes around 10 minutes to memorize it, understand the meaning of the words and figure out the appropriate tone before delivering the line in her own way.
For an actor, that adds an entirely different layer to a performance.
Acting already requires performers to understand their characters, react to their scene partners and convey the right emotions. Doing all of that while speaking words in a language you do not understand means the performance requires an additional level of preparation.
Chopra acknowledged that difficulty herself.
“It’s an added layer of performance,” she said, explaining that working in a different language pushes her as an actor. While she has acted in languages she does not speak in the past, she admitted that the process is “not easy.”
Still, Chopra seems to be embracing it.
“I love a challenge,” she said.
Her experience also offers an interesting glimpse behind the scenes of Varanasi, a film already attracting attention for its enormous scale and international ambitions.
The movie is reportedly being prepared for release in around 50 different languages, making language an especially interesting part of the conversation surrounding the project.
And when Varanasi finally reaches theaters, knowing just how much work Chopra put into understanding and delivering her Telugu dialogue could make watching her performance even more interesting.
S.S. Rajamouli has also said that he plans to dub this movie in 50 different languages, without AI. Click here to read about it.
And to learn more about how "Varanasi" is being filmed entirely in IMAX, click HERE.
