{
  "id": 13309974,
  "title": "From dual timelines to time travel: How SS Rajamouli’s storytelling leapt towards Varanasi",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/10/from-dual-timelines-to-time-travel-how-ss-rajamoulis-storytelling",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-10T02:38:30.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express",
    "slug": "the-indian-express",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/telugu/from-dual-timelines-to-time-travel-how-ss-rajamoulis-storytelling-leapt-towards-varanasi-10914005/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "SS Rajamouli's latest film, Varanasi, scheduled for release on April 7, is a masterful blend of storytelling techniques that he has previously explored in his other films. The movie is set to span multiple timelines, potentially spanning thousands of years, from ancient Vedic and Puranic periods to the present day. The narrative appears to connect events in antiquity to a contemporary crisis involving an asteroid heading towards the city of Varanasi. Rajamouli has created a fictional city of Varanasi, reimagined across different historical periods that no longer exist on location. The film will utilize the same set to represent the city across multiple time periods, with modifications for each era. Mahesh Babu stars as an archaeologist and Shiva devotee named Rudhra, on a quest for a cosmic artifact, an avatar of Ram.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [
    "SS Rajamouli's Varanasi spans multiple timelines, from ancient to present day",
    "Film reimagines fictional Varanasi across historical periods",
    "Mahesh Babu plays archaeologist Rudhra seeking cosmic artifact"
  ],
  "editors_take": "Rajamouli's use of interconnected timelines and a reimagined Varanasi across eras allows him to link ancient events to a modern crisis, blending historical and mythological themes in a narrative device.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}