South Indian filmmaker SS Rajamouli, completed the filming of his latest project, Varanasi, a globe-trotting action adventure inspired by the Ramayana. The film featured Mahesh Babu, Prithviraj Sukumaran, and Priyanka Chopra in leading roles.

Since the announcement, media and fans speculated that Varanasi would release in two parts. However, Rajamouli clarified the matter in a recent interview with Screen Rant during the launch of the film’s glimpse in Hyderabad.

He stated, “We initially considered making it in two parts, but we dropped the plan after a brief start of production. The runtime is not long as audiences remain invested in the story.” The director confirmed that the film’s runtime would be around three hours.

The Makkhi director also discussed the film’s IMAX format. He said the idea of shooting in 1.43:1 aspect ratio came during the pre-visualization phase to capture the story’s different worlds in a bigger format. He remained hopeful that India would have IMAX big screens ready by the time of the release.

Although the release date is still a year away, Varanasi generated worldwide attention after the title glimpse was unveiled.