Director SS Rajamouli has been slammed online for his remarks on lord Hanuman at the trailer launch of his latest film Varanasi on Saturday, November 15. The grand event was held at Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad.
At the event, technical glitches prevented the trailer from being played initially. Visibly frustrated, Rajamouli said he felt let down by Hanuman, who his father had said would guide him. Making an emotional statement, he said, “I don’t have much faith in gods. My father had earlier said that Hanuman will guide me. After the glitch happened, I raised my voice at him, saying, ‘Is this how [Hanuman] leads me?’ My wife is a big admirer of Hanuman. She treats the god like her friend and talks to him. I expressed my anger at her too, saying, ‘Is this how he does things?’”
Offended by these remarks, many took to X (formerly Twitter) to demand an apology from the filmmaker for “insulting” their deity. Some even called for a boycott of the film.
The film’s crew had planned a grand trailer launch, inviting film critics from across the globe. However, the event turned chaotic after the trailer failed to play initially. Rajamouli revealed that the generators could not supply enough power to the screen, causing disruptions in playing the video.
He admitted that he had taken a risk by skipping technical testing because some people were attempting to use drones to capture and leak visuals from the venue. The technical difficulties caused significant delays, resulting in chaos and confusion at the event.
Amidst the criticism against the director, some have come in support of him, saying that it is common to complain against gods when things don’t work as expected.
Varanasi is scheduled to be released in 2027. It stars Mahesh Babu, Priyanka Chopra, and Prithviraj Sukumaran. While Mahesh Babu will play the character of Rudra, Prithivaraj will essay the role of Kumbha, and Priyanka Chopra, the role of Mandakini.