Priyanka Chopra Ignites Mahesh Babu’s Fan Base at Rajamouli’s ‘Varanasi’ Launch

Priyanka Chopra set the stage alight at the grand “GlobeTrotter” event held by S.S. Rajamouli to unveil his much-anticipated film, Varanasi, alongside Mahesh Babu. Addressing the crowd in Telugu, Chopra playfully asked, “Thagala petteddama?” (“Should we set fire?”), a moment that sent fans into a frenzy.

On her emotional return to Indian cinema, Chopra said, “I’m so happy to be back making this movie in my beloved India. The best and only way to do Telugu cinema is to do it with the greats.” ) She lavished praise on the cast and crew, calling M.M. Keeravani’s “Desi Girl” her favourite track, and described co-star Prithviraj Sukumaran as “really scary” in the film but “the complete opposite” in real life.

Chopra also touched hearts when she spoke about Mahesh Babu, saying: “What do you call him? Bob? Oh no — lion? … But I know him as MB, the legendary, incredible Mahesh Babu.” She added that his family — Namrata and Sitara — had welcomed her so warmly that she “felt like Hyderabad is my home.”

Meanwhile, amidst technical glitches at the event, Rajamouli thanked the audience for their composure, writing on X: “You’re as disciplined as your idol … thank you to every Telugu Cinema audience who stood by us.” The director also confirmed that Varanasi would be shot in a premium 1.43:1 IMAX format.