Rajamouli's Security Nightmare: How One Drone Leaked His Varanasi Teaser

Director SS Rajamouli faced a major security breach during Varanasi's title announcement. Despite using cranes and black cloths to cover the venue, drone operators managed to leak footage. The director expressed frustration over losing thousands of work hours to a single drone. He also revealed they're introducing new large-scale format technology for Indian cinema.

Key Points: SS Rajamouli Varanasi Drone Leak Mahesh Babu Film

  • Extreme security included covering venue with black cloths using cranes
  • Drone operators captured test footage at 2 AM despite precautions
  • Leak represented one year of hard work and crores of rupees
  • Team introduced new Premium Large Scale Format for IMAX technology
  • Film features Mahesh Babu as character named Rudhra in Varanasi
2 min read

We did not even test our video fearing it could be leaked, says S S Rajamouli

Director SS Rajamouli reveals how a drone leaked Varanasi footage despite extreme security measures, costing thousands of work hours and crores of rupees.

"We did not even test our video fearing it could be leaked. All that was leaked by one drone flying randomly. - S S Rajamouli"

Hyderabad, Nov 16

Ace director S S Rajamouli has now explained the amount of effort his team took to ensure that the content of their film was not leaked and also expressed his pain at how a random drone operated by unscrupulous elements had, despite their best efforts, managed to leak a still from his much-awaited magnum opus, 'Varanasi'.

At the title announcement event of the film, which features Mahesh Babu in the lead, the makers attempted to screen the title teaser on a giant screen they had erected for the purpose. Initially, there were technical glitches. However, the makers set it right and treated fans to a splendid title teaser.

Director S S Rajamouli, while waiting for the technical glitches to be fixed, explained the reason for the issue.

Stating that they had set up a giant screen to give the audiences a feel of the scale and scope of this film, Rajamouli said, "We were doing everything. We were supposed to test our video last night. But to make sure that the teaser shouldn't leak, we used huge cranes to cover this place with black cloths and worked late into the night. At about 2 am, we started testing our test videos, without playing our teaser. We don't know where these people came. I don't know if it was one or two of them. They started taking a drone and used it to make a video out of whatever we were supposed to show. They put it out on the Internet. That is one year of hard work of so many people. Thousands and thousands of man hours and crores and crores of Rupees. There was so much of hard work. All that was leaked by one drone flying randomly. We did not know what to do. We did not even test our video fearing it could be leaked. We wanted to show it in full scale and full resolution and we thought we would take a risk."

The makers of the eagerly awaited magnum opus announced the title of the film as 'Varanasi' and also disclosed that Mahesh Babu plays a character called Rudhra in the film.

The director went on to say that he was proud to say that they were introducing a new technology to Indian cinema called Premium Large Scale Format Filmed For IMAX.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

A
Arjun K
The dedication is incredible! Working until 2 AM with cranes and black cloths just to prevent leaks. Shows how much they value the audience experience. Can't wait for Varanasi! 🙏
R
Rohit P
While I understand their pain, maybe they should invest in better security measures instead of just physical barriers. Drone jammers or no-fly zones could help prevent such incidents in future.
S
Sarah B
As someone working in the film industry, I know how devastating leaks can be. Crores of rupees and thousands of hours of work compromised by one irresponsible act. Hope they find the culprits.
M
Mahesh T
Rajamouli is pushing Indian cinema to global standards with new technologies like Premium Large Scale Format. These leaks undermine our industry's growth. We need stricter laws against content piracy!
K
Kavya N
The excitement for Varanasi is unreal! Mahesh Babu as Rudhra sounds epic. Despite the leak, the actual experience in theaters will be worth the wait. Jai Hind cinema! 🇮🇳

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