After Baahubali and RRR, fans have been eagerly awaiting SS Rajamouli's next magnum opus with Mahesh Babu, reportedly titled Varanasi.
Recently, Rajamouli revealed the first look of the film's villain, Kumbha, portrayed by Prithviraj Sukumaran and the reactions have been intense.
As soon as the poster dropped, social media went into a frenzy. Some compared the character's design to Doctor Octopus from Spider-Man 2, while others noted similarities to Vivek Oberoi's Kaal from Krrish 3.
However, what truly caught fans' attention was the unexpected portrayal of the villain. In every Rajamouli film so far be it Sye, Magadheera, Maryada Ramanna, Eega, or Baahubali the antagonist has always been physically imposing and larger than life. But this time, Prithviraj's Kumbha appears in a wheelchair, seemingly frail yet mysterious.
Fans are now wondering: how will Rajamouli make a wheelchair-bound villain feel more powerful than the hero? What kind of strength or intelligence will make Kumbha a genuine threat to Mahesh Babu's character?
But Rajamouli's longtime followers know that he never makes creative choices without purpose. If Kumbha is not defined by physical strength, he must embody a different kind of power intellectual, emotional, or symbolic. Rajamouli is known for redefining cinematic expectations, and this might be his boldest move yet.
The film, reportedly made on a thousand-crore budget, is being planned on a global scale. Every weapon, costume, and detail in a Rajamouli film carries meaning nothing exists just for spectacle. The wheelchair, robotic arms, and design of
In Rajamouli's universe, true strength has always come from emotion, not appearance. His villains from Bhallaladeva's ego in Baahubali to Sudeep's arrogance in Eega have been memorable because their darkness stemmed from deeply human flaws.
So, while some mock the design today, they may soon be silenced once Rajamouli unveils Kumbha's emotional backstory on screen. With Varanasi, Rajamouli seems ready to prove once again that power in cinema isn't about muscle it's about meaning.