I think SSR didn't reveal this because he wanted to encourage theories on the glimpse. If the names are any clue and Kumbha is related to Kumbhakarna, then it's very much possible that Prithviraj is playing him. Or is it just going to be a CGI monstrosity?
In Athadu, Mahesh Babu's character Nandu alias Pardhu is referred to as Lord Rama in the priest episode and climax proceedings, driving the themes of God comes in human form in the overall narrative.
In Srimanthudu, Harsha (played by Babu) is literally a character copy of Lord Rama. From his background of being a rich prince of a business empire to his calm, benevolent nature, the similarities are right on the face.
In Varanasi, as we already know from the event, Mahesh is directly portraying Lord Rama himself.
Each of these connections happened 10 years apart, from Athadu in 2005 to Srimanthudu in 2015 to the Varanasi Glimpse and eventual Lord Rama announcement in the 2025 event.
Give us fights where the bad guys aren't stupid and provide a real challenge to the hero.
In the Raiders of the lost ark and The Last Crusade movies directed by the legendary Steven Spielberg, Indiana Jones features holy artifacts and other fantastical elements from Judaism and Christianity respectively.
We know how SSR acknowledged Steven Spielberg as a great source of inspiration and also featured Raiders of the Lost Ark among his all time favourites and must watch movies. You can clearly notice the influence on Varanasi.
SSR is adapting an episode of the Ramayana to deepen the lore of the adventure and take it beyond our comprehension, and all of this is tied to the holy city of Varanasi. There's no milking of religion here just for the sake of the box office. The tale does service to the overall storytelling.
Khaleja predicted Varanasi glimpse 15 years earlier
It is well known that the River Ganga being brought to Earth from the heavens is one of the famous tales in Hinduism.
The clue to my theory is in the names too. Mandakini is also the name of the river Ganga in the heavens (also called as Akash Ganga). And that's the name of PC's character, which is obviously named purposefully. In the Manikarnika Ghat shot, if we look carefully, we can find water moving towards the sky surrounding the blue laser light.
Also, Rudhra seems to be riding the bull on a river bed as it is clear from the background details.
Movies: Athidhi (climax), Khaleja (interval), Varanasi (glimpse)
Design by Santhosh Cherry
Original creator: @cavemanstory on X
This will be followed by a Masterclass on July 4. The Special Award is being presented for his incredible contribution to Indian and World Cinema on the account of the 25th anniversary of the Film Festival.
Or rest of the cast announcement or a BTS pic drop.
One of the most famous stories of Lord Shiva. This incident causes great distress to Lord Shiva (or Rudhra in the case of Mandakini) and unleashes the aggressive version of him. While Sati sacrifices herself willingly, Mandakini seems to be sacrificed to the Goddess Chinnamasta to unlock the time travel ability.
Considering Varanasi's tie to Lord Shiva, we might see this scene play out.
Tried to upscale it to the best possible quality
Leaked footage guys, top secret
I am happy that Mahesh looks all bloody and sweaty here. It's been a long time due owing to the crap in the last decade. SSR sticking to his words!