The Hyderabad schedule of Varanasi has reportedly been halted after the authorities denied supplying 150 tankers of water for an underwater shoot. The team had planned an underwater sequence with Mahesh Babu at a specially constructed set on the outskirts of the city

The plot of SS Rajamouli's Varanasi has reportedly been leaked online. The synopsis of the film leaked, which reveals Mahesh Babu will play a Shiva devotee on a "quest across time to uncover a lost cosmic artefact of immense power"