Mahesh Babu appears to have completed SS Rajamouli’s Varanasi without undergoing the kind of extreme physical transformation often associated with the director’s films.
The actor began shooting for the project in February 2025 and wrapped his portions in September 2026.
His recent appearances suggest that he looks largely unchanged, without any obvious signs of the intense physical strain audiences might expect from a Rajamouli project.
Unlike actors such as Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Ram Charan and Jr NTR, who underwent significant physical transformations for some of their roles, Mahesh Babu does not appear to have needed a prominently muscular or six-pack physique for Varanasi.
This could simply mean that the demands of his character were different and did not require an extreme bodybuilding regimen.
Technology may also have helped reduce the need for drastic physical changes.
With modern visual effects, motion capture and other filmmaking techniques, certain physical or visual elements can be created or enhanced digitally.
If that is the case, Mahesh Babu may have been able to approach the project without putting his body through an unusually demanding transformation, making the lengthy shoot comparatively less taxing.
