Mahesh Babu Fans Target Manoj Over Varanasi Remarks

Mahesh Babu is currently busy shooting for Varanasi, the ambitious globe-trotting adventure directed by S S Rajamouli.

The film, which also stars Priyanka Chopra, is being touted as Mahesh Babu’s first true pan-Indian and international project.

However, the film recently found itself at the centre of an online debate following comments made by Bollywood actor Manoj Bajpayee.

Speaking about the growing trend of announcing massive budgets for big-ticket films, Bajpayee remarked that many projects allegedly inflate their production costs to generate publicity.

He suggested that the actual expenditure is often much lower than the figures reported in the media.

His comments came at a time when films such as Varanasi and Ramayana have been making headlines for their reported budgets running into hundreds, and in some cases even thousands, of crores.

While Bajpayee did not specifically target Rajamouli or Mahesh Babu, a section of Mahesh’s fans took the remarks personally and began trolling the actor on social media.

Many fans felt that the comments indirectly undermined the scale and ambition of Varanasi.

The strong reaction is largely driven by the significance of the project in Mahesh Babu’s career.

Fans see Varanasi as a landmark film that could further expand his reach among pan-Indian and global audiences.

As a result, any criticism, even if not directly aimed at the film, is being viewed through that lens.