James Cameron Asks S S Rajamouli If He Can Visit His Set to Watch Him “Create His Magic”

Hyderabad - Hollywood filmmaker James Cameron has expressed a keen desire to visit the sets of ace Indian director S S Rajamouli’s upcoming magnum opus *Varanasi*, starring Telugu superstar Mahesh Babu, to watch the celebrated director at work.

Cameron made the request during a conversation with Rajamouli after the latter watched Cameron’s much-anticipated film *Avatar: Fire and Ash*, which is scheduled for a worldwide release on December 19.

At the very start of the interaction, Cameron thanked Rajamouli for agreeing to watch and discuss his film and underscored the importance of dialogue among filmmakers. “Thank you so much for doing this. I think it’s important for filmmakers to talk and compare similarities in their mental creative process and in their techniques and so on. I’d love to come to your set. May I come to your set sometime and watch you create your magic?” Cameron said.

A pleasantly surprised Rajamouli responded warmly, saying, “Oh, that would be an absolute pleasure, sir. You’re most welcome. And I mean, not just me, not just my unit—my entire film industry will be thrilled.”

Cameron then added that there was nothing he would rather do and asked about the shooting schedule of *Varanasi*. Rajamouli confirmed that filming was underway and shared an update on the project’s progress. “It’s almost a year now, and another seven or eight months to go. Yes, we are in the middle of the shoot,” he said. Cameron replied light-heartedly, “Okay, plenty of time. Well, tell me when you’re doing something fun. I don’t know, something with tigers.”

For the uninitiated, *Varanasi* is being directed by S S Rajamouli and features Mahesh Babu, Priyanka Chopra and Prithviraj Sukumaran in lead roles. The film’s title was unveiled at a grand event held last month at Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad, attended by several thousand enthusiastic fans.

The event, described as a once-in-a-generation spectacle, witnessed one of the largest live fan gatherings in Indian entertainment history. It featured a massive stage with a height of 100 feet and a screen measuring 130 feet in width.

The makers have already revealed the characters and looks of the lead actors. Mahesh Babu plays Rudhra, Prithviraj essays the antagonist Kumbha, and Priyanka Chopra appears as Mandakini in the film.

—With inputs from IANS