SS Rajamouli has revealed that about 25 minutes of Varanasi are set in the mythological period. The worlds of Varanasi need a bigger format to capture their magnificence, and IMAX is best suited for it.
Talking about choosing the IMAX format, Rajamouli said, "Once we started designing the worlds of Varanasi, we realised that we needed a bigger format to capture their magnificence. Then we thought of how can we do that, and how can we go about it. Obviously IMAX was the first thing that came to our mind."
He added, "Then technical discussions went on. It is essentially the largeness of the world, which made us push to the largeness of the screen. Unfortunately, we don't have many screens here in India. We have this audacious thought that if we don't have one, let's build one. We literally build 100-130 screens to release the glimpse. (sic)"
It is touted to be a mythological movie. Talking about it, Rajamouli said that around 15 percent of the movie is set in mythological periods. He said, "I must be careful in answering this question so that I don't give out spoilers. About 25 minutes of the film is set in the mythological period. Yeah! That is how much I can tell you right now."
It was rumoured that SS Rajmouli is planning to release Varanasi in two parts. When asked about it, the director said that he initially had that idea, but he dropped it. He said, "It will be around a 3-hour movie. We considered it briefly having two parts. We quickly dropped the idea. It's one film."
Rajamouli added, "If the audience is not invested in the character, forget about three hours; they won't even watch 3 minutes. I don't think runtime is an issue. Pulling them into the world matters. As director, if you are able to do that, I don't think runtime is a major issue."
When asked about the title, Rajamouli said, "Varanasi is the name of an ancient city, the first city, and which is so fondly revered by millions of people. I know it carries a weight. I know it carries a religious significance. And of course, that makes me even more responsible in how I use it. The moment that got me goosebumps and tears in my eyes was when the 'Varanasi' title was coming onto the screen, so I thought, 'Yes, we are right in naming the film Varanasi.' "
