S.S. Rajamouli is aggressively focussing on promoting his mega-project Varanasi through the foreign media – and the reason is apparently a strategic financial arrangement under which he retains 100% of the overseas rights for the film as part of his remuneration.
By shifting his focus heavily toward international markets, the director is aiming to maximise his personal returns. Insiders project that the overseas rights will fetch between Rs 250 crore and Rs 300 crore.
The international media blitz also serves several core production and branding goals for the film starring Mahesh Babu, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Prithviraj Sukumaran.
Varanasi is being positioned for an unprecedented global launch across approximately 120 countries and is scheduled to be dubbed into more than 50 world languages. To ensure that his storytelling resonates deeply with foreign viewers, Rajamouli is shunning AI-generated voices. He is auditioning over 1,500 human voice artists to preserve performance integrity across all international dubs.
Rajamouli is utilising the established international profiles of his cast—such as Priyanka Chopra Jonas’s global footprint and UN ambassadorship—to pitch the film directly to Western and African media sectors.
