S.S. Rajamouli Announces Animated “Baahubali: The Eternal War” and Confirms “Varanasi” as Standalone Epic at Annecy 2026

At the 2026 Annecy International Animation Film Festival, director S.S. Rajamouli presented a work-in-progress of the animated feature “Baahubali: The Eternal War” and confirmed that his upcoming live-action film “Varanasi” will be a single, self-contained movie, not a franchise.

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Rajamouli’s recent successes include “RRR” and the two-part “Baahubali” series, which raised Telugu cinema’s global profile. He acknowledges limited animation experience, which he sees as essential for depicting Indian mythology’s visual depth.

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Eight studios from India, France and Japan co-produce the animated film; Studio Khara (known for the “Rebuild of Evangelion” movies) provides a special sequence. Rajamouli, as producer, gave a world overview before delegating execution to the animation teams.

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Writer-director Ishan Shukla, who wrote the “The Bandits of Golak” episode of “Star Wars: Visions”, pitched a story set between the two live-action “Baahubali” movies in which the hero dies and journeys through fourteen realms of the Indian afterlife. Rajamouli says Indian mythology’s vivid descriptions demand animation to render them faithfully.

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During the session, Rajamouli confirmed “Varanasi” will be a single film, not a franchise. He highlighted its father-son emotional core amid mythological elements, and writer V Vijayendra Prasad emphasized a 30-minute battle between Lord Rama and Kumbhakarna. The cast features Mahesh Babu, Prithviraj Sukumaran and Priyanka Chopra.

Will There Be Varanasi 2 Like Baahubali? SS Rajamouli Finally Has An Answer

Rajamouli said animation enables Indian mythology’s fourteen afterlife realms to be visualized, and he trusted the eight-studio team after giving a world guide. He expressed a goal to direct a full-length animation feature and cited anime such as “Demon Slayer” and “Attack on Titan” as influences. Regarding “Varanasi,” he reiterated its single-film format, emphasized the father-son bond as the primary focus, and said the film aims to draw audiences toward India.

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> “We started writing so much about it, and in the process of creating those worlds and creating those characters, we created many instances which were as dramatic or more dramatic than the scenes in the film itself,” — S.S. Rajamouli, Director

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> “Indian mythology is so rich in its vivid descriptions about characters of other worlds,” — S.S. Rajamouli, Director

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> “One film. Yes, one film.” — S.S. Rajamouli, Director

Will There Be Varanasi 2 Like Baahubali? SS Rajamouli Finally Has An Answer

> “You are going to experience the cold and ice of Antarctica. The Gods of Ramayana, the natural disasters and fantastic elements. That’s the experience you are going to have, but at the core of all this is the emotions of father and son. All this makes Varanasi for you.” — S.S. Rajamouli, Director

Will There Be Varanasi 2 Like Baahubali? SS Rajamouli Finally Has An Answer

The animated film proceeds under the eight-studio partnership, with further sequences slated for completion before release. “Varanasi” has finished principal photography; post-production now focuses on connecting scenes. Both projects aim to raise Indian cinema’s global profile.

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