Priyanka Chopra is set to return to Indian cinema after nearly seven years. Her upcoming film, Varanasi, is directed by the renowned filmmaker SS Rajamouli. In an interview, Priyanka revealed, she made one request before signing the film.
Actress Priyanka Chopra is set to return to Indian cinema after nearly seven years. Her next film is titled Varanasi, and it’s being directed by the renowned filmmaker SS Rajamouli. In an interview, Priyanka revealed that when Rajamouli offered her the film, she had only one condition before saying yes, she wanted the opportunity to dance in the film. This was confirmed by actor Mahesh Babu, who said that the dance number is going to be sensational.
What was Priyanka Chopra’s request before signing Varanasi?
In an interview with CinemaBlend, Priyanka revealed that she had not appeared in any Indian film for the past six years. When Rajamouli called her and described her character, Priyanka jokingly said that she had only one request — “Will you let me dance?” Priyanka said that she hadn’t had the chance to dance for a long time, so she was very excited about it. However, she later realized that making this demand might have been a bit much, as there’s a lot of dancing in the film. In her words, “So, I haven’t done an Indian film in like six years. So when she called me, and he was like, ‘Oh, you know, this female character’s really cool and you have to do it,’ and whatever, I was like, ‘I have one request, will you make me dance? Please, because I haven’t danced for so long.”
Priyanka laughingly said that Mahesh Babu also had to work very hard because of this dance. She said that Mahesh jokingly said that all of this was happening because of Priyanka and now he also had to dance. She said, “Whoa, I should not have asked, because we be dancing. Oh my gosh, there’s a lot. And poor Mahesh was like, ‘It’s because of you. Because of you, I have to do it too.’”
Mahesh Babu’s reaction to Priyanka Chopra’s dancing request
Mahesh Babu, on the other hand, said that one song from the film has already been shot and it’s so fantastic that everyone keeps humming it even after the shooting. He said, “It’s sensational. And, I think one song we’ve already shot for it, and it just keeps playing in our minds. And [Priyanka] keeps singing it all the time. And, that song was because she wanted to dance and… And, he made her dance.”
All about Varanasi
Varanasi is directed by SS Rajamouli, who has previously directed blockbuster films like RRR. This film is being hailed as Priyanka Chopra’s grand return to Indian cinema, in which she will be seen in an action-packed role as Mandakini. Mahesh Babu plays the lead role, while Prithviraj Sukumaran portrays the villain. According to the teaser, the film’s story is based on time travel and action-adventure.
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SS Rajamouli’s fascination for Indian epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata is known. The director too on many occasions earlier expressed interest to make a film on any one of the two classics. And at the title reveal event of his upcoming film Varanasi, Rajamouli shared an interesting experience.
Mahesh Babu as Lord Rama
Rajamouli shared that he wasn’t sure whether Mahesh Babu looks apt for the role of Lord Rama. Instead, he believes that the superstar has more traits that suit Lord Krishna. But before commencing Varanasi film shooting, he did a test shoot with Mahesh for the role of Rama. “Even when I started this film (Varanasi), I never thought that I’d touch a chapter related to Ramayana,” the director shares, adding that as he kept developing the story he felt like he was cloud nine. He said, “The first day when I was doing a photo shoot session with Mahesh Babu as Lord Rama, I had goosebumps.” The director further revealed that he had kept Mahesh’s Lord Rama photo as his mobile wallpaper. He concluded, “But later I deleted it because someone may see it”.
“Luck to have shot a Ramayana episode”
Rajamouli further shares that working for the film Varanasi has been a liberating experience. The taskmaster recalls shooting for an intense action episode that lasts approximately around 30 minutes. The action episode was shot for 60 days and the unit completed it recently. Rajamouli said, “Shooting for the episode every day was a challenge. There are many sub episodes as part of the main episode, and every sub episode needs to be interesting, engaging and creative. Thankfully, it came nicely. And that sequence will be one of my memorable episodes not only in my career but also in Mahesh’s career.” Elaborating on Mahesh’s screen presence in that episode, the director said, “He looks handsome yet furious; generous yet enraged. Mahesh showed all the navarasas as Lord Rama. I am so lucky to have shot this episode.”
Three years ago, Indian filmmaker S.S. Rajamouli released RRR, a period piece action epic that broke through to the mainstream and became a global sensation. After the just-released action epic Baahubalifrom this past October, Rajamouli’s got another film up his sleeve: Varanasi—or for those in non-Indian countries, Globetrotter or Timetrotter.
Revealed at a massive press event in India, the film is set across multiple time periods. From 512 CE to 2027 and 7200, from the titular Indian city to Africa and Antarctica, there’s a lot going on in the trailer, which provides sweeping shots of the various locations and eras. During the event, Rajamouli revealed he shot the film for IMAX, and it definitely shows as the score and scope of the film continues to expand.
While light on plot details, we know our main character is Maresh Babu as Rudrha, who wields a trident and rides a bull into battle. Other stars include Prithviraj Sukumaran as Kumbha and Priyanka Chopra as Mandikini, who both appear to be present day characters, whereas Rudrha is from an earlier era.
Look for Varanasi to hit theaters sometime in 2027.
Mahesh Babu-starrer SSMB29 has been creating quite a buzz ever since it was announced. Earlier, the makers had revealed that the official title update would arrive in November, and now the superstar himself has hinted at the announcement through a quirky conversation with director SS Rajamouli, confirming the involvement of Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Prithviraj Sukumaran.
Mahesh Babu hints at SSMB29 update
Taking to his social media handle, Mahesh Babu asked SS Rajamouli, “It’s November already.” In response, the filmmaker playfully replied, “Yess… ye cinemaalaki review iddaam anukuntunnaavu ee month?” (Yes… which movie are you planning to review this month?).
The conversation continued with Mahesh responding, “Your ‘forever in making’ Mahabharatha, Sir… First things first, you promised us something in November. Please keep up your word.”
Rajamouli replied that November had only just begun and added that they would reveal the details one by one.
Finally, Mahesh Babu quipped, “How slow, sir…? Shall we start in 2030? Fyi, our Desi girl has been posting every street of Hyderabad on her Insta stories since January,” tagging Priyanka Chopra Jonas.
Soon enough, Priyanka Chopra joined the tweet chain and added, “Helloooo!! Hero!!! You want me to leak all the stories you share with me on set? Mind lo fix aithe blind ga esestha..” (Once I make up my mind, I’ll do it blindly.)
Continuing the fun banter, SS Rajamouli asked the Khaleja actor why he revealed Priyanka, adding that he had ruined the surprise.
Soon after, Mahesh also confirmed Prithviraj Sukumaran’s involvement and said, “Surprise aaa? You mean to say Prithviraj is also a surprise?”
See the tweets here:
Prithviraj then joined the response chain and revealed, “Rajamouli sir, I’m running out of alibis for these Hyderabad ‘vacations.’ If I keep this up any longer, my family will start doubting me.”
Later, Mahesh called for a truce with the RRR director and asked him to put out an update on November 2, 2025, and just call it a surprise for namesake.
Adding how his sarcasm had reached quite a level, Rajamouli said, “Okay, deal. But penalty for excess sarcasm: I’ve decided to delay the release of your first look.”
Finally, Prithviraj explained how the director loves his villains the most. However, the Guntur Kaaram actor responded that Rajamouli saves the best for last.
From the conversation, it seems that the upcoming update will be the official character reveal of the Salaar actor as the main antagonist in SSMB29.
India’s first urban cable car system began trial runs in October, which is built in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home constituency, Varanasi, in Uttar Pradesh. Social media users have shared a clip with a false claim it showed an accident at the system’s debut trip. But the journalist who covered the actual event shown in the video told AFP it was filmed in Dongargarh in central India in April.
“Modi built a four-kilometre (2.4-mile) ropeway in Varanasi at a cost of eight billion rupees ($95 million). The carriage broke and fell down during its debut trip — and interestingly, a BJP leader was also in it,” reads a Hindi-language Facebook post on October 1, 2025, referring to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
The 26-second video shows a cable car setting off before cutting to a scene of a crashed gondola and injured passengers.
Screenshot of the false Facebook post captured on October 8, 2025, with a red X added by AFP
The clip appeared with similar claims on Instagram and X as trial runs of India’s first urban public transport ropeway began in Varanasi on October 2, the ANI news agency reported (archived link).
Aimed at improving the city’s urban mobility, the 3.8-kilometre (2.36-mile) corridor will use 148 gondolas to transport up to 100,000 passengers a day.
But the video actually shows a cable car accident in the neighbouring Chhattisgarh state.
The post captioned in Hindi reads in part: “Ropeway trolley broke in Dongargarh, BJP leader narrowly escaped, was brought to Rajnandgaon Sanjeevani Hospital.”
Rajnandgaon district in Chhattisgarh is located 660 kilometres (410 miles) from Varanasi.
Screenshot comparison of the false post (L) and the Instagram video
The caption credits the report to Monaj Dewangan, a reporter with the local news outlet Correct News CG, who told AFP the footage was filmed in Chhattisgarh.
“The ropeway suddenly crashed. The BJP leader, onboard along with other passengers, sustained injuries. The injured were rushed to a nearby hospital,” he said on October 8, 2025.
Local media outlets reporting the accident said a gondola carrying devotees to the Bamleshwari temple in Dongargarh detached from the cable and fell to the ground, injuring some BJP leaders among others (archived here, here and here).
ANI published a clip on October 3 on a trial run on the Varanasi cable car system, which shows gondolas bearing a different livery from those seen in the false video (archived link).
Uttar Pradesh police also dismissed the false claim in a post on its X account (archived link).
AFP has previously debunked misinformation linked to Modi here.
US President Joe Biden, right, and Narendra Modi, India’s prime minister, at an arrival ceremony during a state visit on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, June 22, 2023.
Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has turned the normally sedate rotating presidency of the Group of 20 nations into a branding vehicle to burnish India’s geopolitical importance — underscoring India’s emergence as a key voice on the world stage.
The country’s diplomats now face a race against time to broker tangible multilateral outcomes at this weekend’s G20 leaders’ summit in New Delhi that will mark the end of India’s year-long presidency of the bloc of leading industrialized and developing economies.
India has so far not been able to foster consensus for a joint communique from the previous G20 meetings in other major tracks that it has convened. Member states haven’t been able to agree on binding action due largely to Russia’s and China’s objections to the language referring to the Ukraine crisis.
In a banner year for Indian diplomacy that also saw the world’s most populous nation take on the rotating presidency of Shanghai Cooperation Organization, India risks having little to show for its efforts that may in turn undercut the country’s credibility and Modi’s domestic messaging.
One of the risks is that by elevating India’s presidency of the G20 so much, there are now expectations for India to deliver some concrete breakthroughs.
Manjari Chatterjee Miller
Council on Foreign Relations
“What is different about India’s presidency of the G20 and what I’m amazed by is how the Modi government has turned the G20 into a nonstop advertisement for both India and his leadership,” said Manjari Chatterjee Miller, a senior fellow for India, Pakistan and South Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, D.C.
“One of the risks is that by elevating India’s presidency of the G20 so much, there are now expectations for India to deliver some concrete breakthroughs,” she told CNBC in an email. “India has been trying to use the G20 to bring the Global South together and offer itself as a bridge between the Global South and the West. But there remains the problem of Russia and China.”
With Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping sitting out the Sept. 9-10 meeting, the prospect for any real breakthrough appears dim.
Indeed, the specter of Russia’s Ukraine invasion has loomed large over G20 meetings for the various tracks that India has convened.
India had hoped to forge consensus on a range of issues from a regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies to the resolution of crippling debt issues for developing countries.
Other areas include reforms in multilateral banks as part of its agenda to foster progress on sustainable development, as well as the admission of the African Union as a member of the G20.
Despite its neutral position on the Ukraine crisis, New Delhi has not been able to broker a single joint statement in any of the key discussion tracks since India took over the G20 presidency in December 2022. Instead, it has only managed non-binding chair’s summary and outcome documents.
In fact, Russia disassociated itself from the status of the outcome document in a June meeting on development issues in Varanasi, due to references to the Ukraine war. China said the meeting outcome should not include any reference to the Ukraine crisis.
“The original language was accepted by Russia at the Bali G20 — and Indian diplomats in fact, played a major part in getting Russian acceptance on that,” Pramit Pal Chaudhuri, Eurasia Group’s head for its South Asia practice, told CNBC in a telephone interview from New Delhi.
“But since then, Russia has hardened its position and joined by China to say that we don’t accept the original body language, which is taken from the UN Security Council resolution,” he added.
“Last I heard, India is still struggling to get an agreement on what type of language would be acceptable to all 20 countries,” Chaudhuri said. “If they fail to bridge that gap, then we may see the failure to issue a joint statement, and there probably won’t be an action plan afterwards.”
[Modi] is trying to portray this as a great recognition that India has arrived under his under his prime ministership.
Pramit Pal Chaudhuri
Eurasia Group
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov — who is due to represent Russia at G20 leaders’ summit in place of Putin — reportedly warned there will be no general declaration at the meeting in New Delhi if Russia’s position is not reflected.
The Kremlin insists that its invasion of Ukraine is a “special military operation” in an existential war against the West that’s determined to take down Russia.
This could well be a setback for Modi’s government, which has convened more than 200 G20 meetings in more than two dozens cities across India.
“It’s actually quite brilliant and one has to give him and the BJP credit for making an event that is usually elitist and esoteric, and a rotating presidency that is routine into something the whole country can understand and be proud of,” CFR’s Miller said, referring to Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
More than just lining streets with banners and signs that injected plenty of visibility to the various G20 meetings, Modi has also used these meetings to clean up host cities, promote local products and more.
“At the national level, [Modi] is trying to portray this as a great recognition that India has arrived under his under his prime ministership,” Eurasia Group’s Chaudhuri said. “I think the messaging has been strong, but the reception is harder to work out, it’s harder to quantify.”
The biggest risk for Modi is the lack of tangible multilateral accomplishment out of the G20 presidency after all that has been done and invested, possibly with an eye on boosting the legacy and standing of his Hindu nationalist BJP after a decade in power and ahead of national elections next year.
Underscoring that wariness, India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar was quick to tout the “unanimous support” from G20 member states, for twooutcomes that India proposed at the Varanasi G20 ministerial meeting on developmental issues. He even labeled it the “biggest achievement” of India’s G20 presidency so far — despite Russia and China abstaining.
“There may be a sort of backlash, or a degree of cynicism may set among voters who say — we have heard a lot — we seem to have spent a lot of money, but nothing really seems to have happened here,” Chaudhuri added.
India walked the diplomatic tightrope even as China pushed for an expansion of BRICS alliance of developing nations to build support for a broad coalition aimed at challenging U.S. dominance over the global political and economic system.
“India will continue to maintain healthy diplomatic relations with Russia amid an increasing reliance on that country’s energy imports,” Sumedha Dasgupta, a senior analyst with the Economist Intelligence Unit, told CNBC. Moscow is India’s leading source of crude oil.
“Simultaneously, India will develop stronger diplomatic bonds with the US and its allies through means such as the Quad, co-operation on critical technology and defense, which will over time amount to a gradual geopolitical shift,” she said in an email.
Underscoring India’s strategic importance, Biden hosted Modi in June in the Indian prime minister’s first state visit to the U.S.
Warming India-U.S. ties contrast with India’s continued standoff with China.
India — along with Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan — sharply rebuked China last week for a new national map that Beijing claims contested territories as its own.
As the U.S. ramps up efforts to limit the transfers of strategic technology to China on grounds of national security, India stands to gain from American companies looking to diversify their supply chains — at China’s expense.
In January, India’s commerce minister told CNBC that Apple was manufacturing its latest iPhone 14 in the country and aimed to produce 25% of all iPhones in the country.
This development serves to buttress India’s burgeoning economic clout, the basis of its greater confidence and assertiveness geopolitically.
It’s a happy coincidence for the moment, I think, for India to showcase itself as an improved economy; as an improved place for international investors … and as an alternative to China.
Pravin Krishna
Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies
In the last decade in power, Modi’s BJP has liberalized foreign direct investment policies, invested in infrastructure, pushed for digitalization in the world’s fifth-largest economy, along with several other neo-liberal economic policies.
“All of of these things are coming together at the right time, alongside the G20,” said Pravin Krishna, a professor of international economics at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies.
“So it’s a happy coincidence for the moment, I think, for India to showcase itself as an improved economy; as an improved place for international investors; as an improved platform, potentially for manufacturing; and as an alternative to China, which India has been aspiring to be for a number of years,” he added.
Uttar Pradesh Tourism returns with the next much-awaited edition of the Travel Writers Conclave in association with Worldwide Media. Beginning today, December 9, the Varanasi edition will conclude on December 12, 2022. The conclave kicked off at the celebrated Namo Ghat on the banks of the holy River Ganga.
Varanasi, also called Banaras or Kashi, is one of Hinduism’s holiest cities and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The waters of the River Ganges, central to all life and living in Varanasi, are said to wash away all your sins. Varanasi is famous for its numerous ghats (stepped banks), boat rides on the holy river, and the evening prayers (aarti) with thousands of oil lamps along the bank. The city has been known worldwide for the calm and serenity it offers everyone who visits it.
“Varanasi is ever-evolving,” says travel photographer Ajay Sood (@travelure). “And thanks to the support of UP Tourism and local administration, we are able to experience the new face of Varanasi unhindered. The illuminated ghats, the new Ganga Dwar of Kashi Vishwanath dham, the installation on Namo Ghat, are just a few new things that we captured, thanks to their unconditional support.”
Over the next three days, international journalists, writers, bloggers and photographers will explore every nook and cranny of the heritage city of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. Their experiences will help them appreciate the richness of the state’s culture, food, lifestyle, wildlife, and architecture.
After spending time in Varanasi, both on and off the water, the media will make forays into undiscovered sites and sights that are not usually found on a lay traveller’s itinerary.
As the conclave culminates on December 12, state ministers and experts in the fields of planning, architecture, and infrastructure will gather in Varanasi to discuss Uttar Pradesh’s ever-evolving tourism potential and its commitment to preserving culture through arts and crafts, and to solicit feedback from the participants of the conclave.
With its enduring association with Uttar Pradesh Tourism, Worldwide Media is well placed to plan a detailed itinerary in and around Varanasi to highlight the diverse experiences available in Uttar Pradesh.
After facing massive backlash for calling Varanasi the “scariest city” she ever visited, Indian-American influencer Aparna Singh has apologised for her remarks. In a TikTok video Aparna said that she is extremely sorry if her statement came across as “disrespectful”.
“Like I said I would like to apologise because I wasn’t trying to be disrespectful. I was simply just saying my experience,” she said in the video.
The Atlanta-based influencer stated that apparently nobody cared about the “good videos”. She had shared videos while travelling to Jaipur and Mumbai. She was dissapointed how everyone latched onto the one negative statement she had. “Y’all don’t care about the good videos I post but as soon as I say the bad experience I had, it just blown up – TikTok, that’s how y’all are.”
According to a report by the New York Post, over 10,000 people called out Aparna in the comment section as soon as the video went out. One of comments read, “Next time do your research beforehand and be open to new experiences without so much judgment.”
Explaining to her why the river Ganges is so crowded, another user wrote, “Hindu devotees believe that the water of the Ganges is holy and washes away all their ‘papam’ or sins.” The user added that the city remains heavily crowded throughout the year as many people pay visit to spend their last years in the city as Hindu scriptures claim that anyone who breathes their last in Varanasi will achieve moksha from the circle of birth-death and reincarnation.
Aparna Singh was visiting India to meet manufacturers who work for her jewellery brand Indian Goddess Boutique, famous for nose rings.
