Priyanka Chopra’s one condition for SS Rajamouli’s Varanasi left Mahesh Babu ‘unhappy’: ‘I shouldn’t have asked’ | Telugu News
After the massive success of RRR and especially the global recognition that followed Naatu Naatu’s historic Oscar win, all eyes have been firmly fixed on filmmaker SS Rajamouli and what he would announce next. Adding to the anticipation, the director unveiled Varanasi, a high-profile project starring Mahesh Babu, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and Prithviraj Sukumaran. The film has been in development for nearly three years and is expected to take another year before hitting the big screen, with a summer release slated for next year. Even though the film’s release is still some time away, the team has already begun building excitement around it. Recently, Priyanka Chopra revealed the one condition she had before signing the film — and it wasn’t exactly in Mahesh Babu’s favour.
Speaking in an interview, Priyanka shared, “I haven’t done an Indian film in like six years. So when SS Rajamouli called me and he was like, ‘You know this female character is really cool and you have to do it,’ I was like, ‘I have one request. Can you make me dance? Please? Because I haven’t danced for so long.’”
Mahesh Babu, who was accompanying her during the interaction, quickly quipped, “And he made her dance — and how!”
Reacting with laughter, Priyanka said, “Woah! I should not have asked because we have been dancing. Oh my gosh, there’s a lot.”
She further added, “And poor Mahesh was like, ‘Just because of you. Because of you, I have to do it too.’”
Calling it “sensational,” Mahesh elaborated, “I think we have already shot one song and it just keeps playing in our minds. She kept singing it all the time. And that song happened because she wanted to dance.”
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In another interview with Screen Rant, the actors provided more context about Priyanka’s dance request. While speaking about Varanasi, Priyanka was also asked about her popular franchises — Don 3 and Krissh.
Laughing, she said, “I don’t know if I can talk about either of them at all.”
Mahesh Babu cheekily responded, “It means something is definitely happening.”
Not confirming anything, Priyanka added, “But exciting times ahead. This is the first Indian film I am doing after six years. Just coming back and being within the culture again… and my favourite part was getting to dance. I haven’t done that in any of my Hollywood productions. I was really excited about it.”
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Adding to this, Mahesh revealed, “When she came on board for this project, she was on a call with Rajamouli and said, ‘I am so excited and I really want to dance because Naatu Naatu won the Oscar.’”
Interrupting him playfully, Priyanka clarified, “No, it was because I hadn’t danced in such a long time. I was a Hindi film actress, so dancing was a big part of it. I told him I had one request that I should be able to dance in this movie. And unfortunately for Mahesh, he had to do it too. He wasn’t very happy with me making that request.”
Mahesh agreed with a smile, saying, “Yeah, because it was tough. She was rehearsing, and I was like, ‘Don’t complain now — you asked for this.’”
Priyanka concluded by admitting, “I didn’t think the steps would turn out to be what they turned out to be.”
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Varanasi is being touted as a globetrotting adventure rooted deeply in Indian culture, with a storyline that spans across timelines — travelling from 2000 BC all the way to 2027.
