SS Rajamouli’s grand Varanasi title launch in Hyderabad may have been a larger-than-life introduction to his next cinematic spectacle, but the event also became a stressful backstage experience. The highly anticipated event, attended by media from across the world, was hit by technical glitches that delayed the proceedings.
SS Karthikeya recalls Varanasi event chaos
Now, Rajamouli’s son and Varanasi producer SS Karthikeya has opened up about the behind-the-scenes, admitting that the pressure of getting everything back on track left him on the verge of tears.
Karthikeya spoke about the incident while appearing in a promotional video with anchor Suma and actor Fahadh Faasil for Don’t Trouble The Trouble. Suma, who has hosted several of Rajamouli’s film events over the years, recalled how the filmmaker’s team usually conducts rehearsals before major launches.
She then asked Karthikeya how he felt when the Varanasi event ran into trouble. He described the atmosphere backstage as “like a war room inside the tent”, revealing that he became emotional while trying to resolve the issue. “To be honest, I felt like crying. I got emotional, angry, with I don’t know whom. It was nobody’s mistake,” Karthikeya said.
“Technically, we have a very strong team. It was not that we had it in the wrong format or anything. It’s just that we needed to test it beforehand,” he explained.
After the material finally played successfully on the third attempt, Karthikeya said he reacted by yelling “like Nani from Jersey”, describing the moment as an overwhelming release of tension.
Varanasi launch compared to rocket launch
Suma revealed that the stress was not limited to Karthikeya. She recalled seeing several members of the team become emotional as the event eventually came together. “Rama garu was in tears. Most of the people were in tears. I was in tears. It felt like we had launched a rocket, like ISRO,” she said, adding that the pre-release event carried the same emotions as a film.
Karthikeya also recalled Rajamouli’s reaction, saying, “Baba also, when he took the stage, you could see his voice was a little…” He further noted that Namrata Shirodkar was praying during the tense moment.
The event eventually went ahead, introducing Varanasi, which stars Mahesh Babu, Priyanka Chopra and Prithviraj Sukumaran. The film is directed by SS Rajamouli, with Karthikeya serving as its producer. Varanasi is set to release on April 7, 2027.
Varanasi: SS Rajamouli's son was in tears due to glitches at launch event
