No: the film Varanasi has no confirmed principal photography in the city itself. Its Varanasi is largely a set built in Hyderabad, with confirmed shoots in Koraput, Odisha, and in Kenya. The film opens on 7 April 2027. Fans can visit the real ghats, the leaning temple the set copies, and Kenya's savanna.
S.S. Rajamouli’s Varanasi is set for release on 7 April 2027, and the title promises one of the oldest living cities on earth. What the production has actually built is something else. By every set-visit report available, the Varanasi on screen is largely a recreation in Hyderabad, more than 1,000 km to the south, with ghats, a canal standing in for the Ganges, and a replica of the city’s famous leaning temple. No source I could find documents principal photography inside the real city.
That changes the question a fan should ask. This guide separates what is confirmed from what is only reported and what nobody knows, then shows where a trip can still touch the film: the real ghats the set copies, Hyderabad’s working film studios, and the Kenyan savanna where the African chapters were shot. Everything here is dated 7 October 2026, and the film is still in production.
What Is Confirmed, What Is Reported, What Is Unknown
Productions of this size manage information tightly, and the press repeats itself. So the useful thing is a plain ledger, with each claim tagged by how well it is sourced.
Progress figures depend on the date of the source. In June 2026 Rajamouli said the large action sequences were done with about 80 days of smaller scenes left. An August 2026 report put the shoot at about 80 percent complete, and by late September Indian press was reporting over 90 percent, with lead actor Mahesh Babu having wrapped his part. The honest summary on 7 October 2026 is that principal photography is in its final phase, not finished.
The Set in Hyderabad: Where “Varanasi” Really Is
A journalist’s set visit in November 2025, published in March 2026, described a nine-acre site with dozens of buildings, a canal for the Ganges and more than 350 crew. The buildings were scaled down by roughly 30 percent, and part of the ground was sunk about 12 feet to give the same street a “past” version. Another outlet gave different dimensions for what is presumably the same build (about 700 by 400 feet, 18 months of construction), so treat the exact size as approximate. The team reportedly mapped the real city first, with drones and radar, then rebuilt it.
Reasons for building rather than shooting have been reported but not officially stated: crowds, permissions, the sensitivity of filming at working religious sites, and logistics. Anyone who has watched the ghats at dawn will understand the logic. The film needs control over a place that is, for the people who live and pray there, anything but a set.
The press often places the Varanasi set at Ramoji Film City, and a title-reveal event was held there in November 2025. But the set-visit reports themselves say only “Hyderabad”. Another shoot has been reported at a studio in Gaganpahad on the city’s edge. I could not confirm that either is the main set, and I found no official way to visit it.
What a fan can do in Hyderabad
Be realistic: the set is closed. What is open is Ramoji Film City, a vast working studio complex with a public day tour that includes the Baahubali sets, from Rajamouli’s earlier films. Ticket prices vary by source and season, so check the official site before you book. If you want the film’s home city rather than its backlot, the guided city tours below cover the Old City and its food and history. None of them visits the Varanasi set, and none claims to.
If you want a film-studio tour with the same caveats, read what a Bollywood studio tour in Mumbai really shows which explains how access to working sets actually works.
The Real Varanasi: What the Set Copies
If the film is a copy, the original is worth seeing for what it is, a living city of pilgrimage and not a film location. Take the film as a reason to arrive, not as the thing you are there for.
The leaning temple, Ratneshwar Mahadev
The best link between reality and the set is the leaning temple at Manikarnika Ghat, which tilts at roughly nine degrees and is partly submerged for much of the year. Reports from the Hyderabad build say a replica was made. Manikarnika is an active cremation ghat: no photographs of the burning area, and ignore anyone who demands money for wood. You can see the temple from a boat or from the steps without going near the pyres.
Dawn boat ride and evening aarti
The ghats look their best from the water at sunrise. Boat prices are negotiable and no official tariff is fixed, so agree the price and duration before you step in. The evening aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat runs about 45 minutes, starts around 6 pm in winter and 7 pm in summer, and is free to watch from the steps. No flash, and do not stand in front of the priests.
Guides who know the lanes
A guide earns their fee in the old city, where the lanes are narrow and the scams (fake guides, unrequested blessings, inflated boat fares) are common. The walking and photo tours below spend time with the neighbourhoods and the daily life around the ghats, not with any film location.
Varanasi is a major centre of Shaivism, and the ghats are places of worship and of death. Dress modestly, keep your voice low, and never swim or drink the river water: official testing in 2020 recorded faecal coliform at several times the bathing limit. At Kashi Vishwanath, phones, cameras and bags go in lockers, and access rules for non-Hindus are reported differently by different sources, so check on site.
Sarnath, Newly on the World Heritage List
Sarnath, where the Buddha is said to have given his first sermon, lies a short drive north-east of the ghats. UNESCO inscribed it as the Ancient Buddhist Site of Sarnath on 25 July 2026. It has nothing to do with the film, but it is the quietest half day in the area and the best answer to a ghats-heavy itinerary. The Dhamek stupa is the landmark; the museum is closed on Fridays. Entry fees change, so check the Archaeological Survey of India listing on the day.
Beyond India: Kenya Is the Chapter You Can Actually Walk Into
Of all the places named in the production, Kenya is the one where both the filming and the landscape are confirmed and visitable. Screen Global Production reported in September 2025 that nearly all of the film’s African scenes were shot in Kenya with a crew of about 120. The Masai Mara, Naivasha, Samburu and Amboseli were named, and the country’s cabinet secretary publicly welcomed the production. In August 2026 Gulf News reported Rajamouli’s remarks about the Mara and Kilimanjaro, including that the land was too big for the IMAX frame.
No source ties a specific shot to a specific spot. So go for the landscape, not a pin on a map.
Masai Mara and Amboseli, in practice
Mara park fees for non-resident adults were reported as USD 100 a day from January to June and USD 200 from July to December, plus conservancy fees if you stay in one, so confirm with the county before you budget. The wildebeest migration usually reaches the Mara between July and October, and Kilimanjaro is clearest from Amboseli around dawn. Kenya uses an online eTA, applied for ahead of travel on the official portal.
Odisha’s Koraput: For the Curious Only
In March 2025 the crew filmed in Koraput district in the hills of southern Odisha, around Talamali near Semiliguda, Deomali and Machkund, a shoot Odisha’s deputy chief minister acknowledged publicly. A Kashi-style set on the Talamali hill has been reported but I could not confirm it. No filming point is marked, and I have no public coordinates, so do not go looking for one. Come for the highlands: Deomali is the state’s highest peak, and the Duduma waterfalls are the best known stop. October to February is the best window. I found no bookable product for Koraput itself. The nearest option I could verify is a Bhubaneswar and Konark day, which suits a wider Odisha trip rather than the film.
The Antarctic Question
The story takes its hero from Varanasi to Antarctica, a point Rajamouli himself has made about the film’s cold and ice. Whether the cameras went there is another matter. The one public hook is a social media reply from Priyanka Chopra in March 2026, “See you soon in Antarctica”, picked up by several outlets, while one trade outlet described the exchange as informal with no official confirmation. I found no behind-the-scenes images or production statement, so this stays in the reported column. If you are tempted to follow it: Ross Sea expeditions run for weeks and cost tens of thousands of dollars, so it is a measure of scale, not a plan.
Putting a Trip Together
Four ways to build it
Varanasi only (3 to 4 days). Aarti on night one, a dawn boat ride on day two, Sarnath on day three. Varanasi plus Hyderabad (6 to 7 days). Add a day at Ramoji Film City and the Old City. India plus Kenya (10 to 14 days). Two visas and two budgets, and the one version that reaches confirmed locations outside India. Odisha extension. For hill country and villages, not film sets.
- Apply for the Indian e-Visa through the official portal at indianvisaonline.gov.in and check the fee for your nationality; Varanasi is a designated e-Visa airport
- Travel October to March for Varanasi; allow slack for fog from mid-December
- Agree boat prices and guide fees in writing or in front of your hotel before you set off
- Keep Manikarnika free of cameras and ignore offers of 'wood donations'
- Check the UK FCDO and your own government's advice before booking; the UK advice lists restricted areas elsewhere in India, not Varanasi or Uttar Pradesh
- For Kenya, apply for the eTA at least 72 hours before departure and confirm Mara fees with the county
All prices on this page are indicative, taken from checks made on 7 October 2026 for dates between 7 and 20 April 2027, and per adult based on two travellers. Prices and availability move, so confirm on the booking page.
Why This Film Matters to Travellers Beyond India
Rajamouli’s earlier films travelled well. RRR opened in Japan in October 2022 and became the biggest Indian release there, and “Naatu Naatu” won the Oscar for best original song in March 2023. Varanasi is planned for a wide international release, including IMAX and Dolby formats, and is reported to be shot for IMAX. If it lands as hoped, expect more curious visitors in a city that has long had more pilgrims than it can comfortably host. If you go, go as a guest.
For another film built on a mix of real landscapes and constructed worlds, see where Dune: Part Three filmed in Jordan and Abu Dhabi.
Practical info
FAQ
Was the film Varanasi shot in Varanasi?
There is no confirmed principal photography in the city. The film's Varanasi is a large set built in Hyderabad, which set-visit reports describe as a recreation of the ghats with a canal standing in for the Ganges. The crew did survey the real city, reportedly with drones and radar, and the film is being promoted there. That is not the same as filming there.
When is the Varanasi movie released?
The announced worldwide release date is 7 April 2027, confirmed by director S.S. Rajamouli in January 2026. As of 7 October 2026 there is no official postponement. Release dates for films of this scale can still move, so check the production's own announcements before you plan travel around the premiere.
Where was Varanasi actually filmed?
Most of it was shot at studios and a purpose-built set in Hyderabad. Confirmed locations outside the city are the Koraput district of Odisha (March 2025) and Kenya (September 2025). An Antarctic shoot has been reported, but I could not find independent documentation, so treat it as unconfirmed. Reports of Europe and ancient Rome give no specific place.
Can I visit the Varanasi movie set in Hyderabad?
Not as far as anyone has confirmed. The set is under tight secrecy, and I found no official visit offer. Its exact studio is also unconfirmed: the press often names Ramoji Film City, but the set-visit reports only say Hyderabad. Ramoji Film City is open to the public and has the Baahubali sets, which is the closest fan stop.
Was Varanasi filmed in Antarctica?
The story reaches Antarctica, but physical filming there is reported rather than confirmed. The main source is an exchange on social media in March 2026, and one trade outlet treated it as informal. Aggregators claiming the Antarctic shoot is finished are not reliable. Antarctic voyages are not a realistic fan trip: Ross Sea expeditions run to tens of thousands of dollars.
Is the leaning temple in the film real?
Yes. The Ratneshwar Mahadev temple at Manikarnika Ghat leans at roughly nine degrees and is partly submerged for much of the year. Reports from the Hyderabad set say a replica was built there. The real temple sits beside an active cremation ghat, so view it from the river or the steps and do not photograph the burning area.
When is the best time to visit Varanasi?
October to March is the usual window, with mild days in November to February. Avoid the monsoon. Winter fog from around mid-December can disrupt flights and trains for several weeks, so leave slack in your schedule. The film's release falls in April, when the city is already getting hot, so plan for early starts.
Is it safe to bathe in the Ganges at Varanasi?
No. Pollution-board testing in 2020 recorded faecal coliform counts several times the limit for bathing, and that is why bathing and drinking the water are not recommended. Watching from a boat is the normal way to see the ghats. Agree the boat price before boarding, because there is no fixed official tariff.
Sources
- S.S. Rajamouli confirms Varanasi will hit screens on April 7 next year — IANS
- Everything we know about Varanasi — Rotten Tomatoes
- Varanasi (film) — Wikipedia
- Rajamouli shoots for SSMB29 in Odisha's Eastern Ghats — Deccan Chronicle
- Kenyan govt hails S.S. Rajamouli for exploring its country — Deccan Chronicle
- Rajamouli says Masai Mara was too big for Varanasi's IMAX frame — Gulf News
- Leaning temple of Varanasi — Live History India
- Ramoji Film City — Ramoji Film City
- Indian e-Visa: official portal — Government of India
- India travel advice — UK FCDO