Indian cinema is about to hit a major IMAX milestone, thanks to S.S. Rajamouli’s upcoming film Varanasi.
The action-adventure film, starring Mahesh Babu and Priyanka Chopra, is being filmed entirely using digital IMAX cameras, making it the first Indian film to be shot completely in IMAX.
It is also expected to become only the second movie ever filmed entirely in IMAX, following Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey.
There is, however, an important difference between the two productions.
Nolan filmed The Odyssey using IMAX 70mm film cameras, while Rajamouli is using digital IMAX cameras for Varanasi. So, while the technology being used is not exactly the same, both movies are being filmed completely for the IMAX format.
That also makes Varanasi the first non-English and international film to be shot entirely in IMAX, a major achievement for Indian cinema.
And the scale of the production does not end there.
According to Variety, Varanasi has a reported budget of $150 million, which would make it the biggest Indian movie ever made.
Rajamouli, known internationally for films including RRR and the Baahubali movies, is also taking the production around the world, with the action-adventure being filmed across multiple locations.
The filmmaking process itself is interesting, as well.
Rather than waiting until filming is complete to begin working on visual effects, the Varanasi team is reportedly working on VFX alongside production. As portions of the movie are filmed, footage is being sent to the VFX team so work can begin while Rajamouli continues shooting other scenes.
The approach could help the team manage what is clearly a massive post-production workload as it works toward the movie’s planned April 2027 release.
Between its reported $150 million budget, international production and now its IMAX milestone, Varanasi is shaping up to be a huge undertaking.
And becoming the first Indian movie filmed entirely in IMAX? That is a pretty exciting cinematic first.
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 hear more about how difficult it was for Priyanka Chopra Jonas to film this movie in a language she doesn't speak, click HERE.
