Priyanka Chopra likens ‘Varanasi’ Kenya shoot to 'the sound of the wildebeest' from 'The Lion King': 'When Mufasa dies...'

SS Rajamouli’s ‘Varanasi’ is one of the most anticipated upcoming films from India, and Priyanka Chopra Jonas has now shared fresh behind-the-scenes anecdotes from its Kenya schedule. In an interview, Chopra revealed that filming amid Kenya’s wilderness felt uncannily similar to a dramatic moment from ‘The Lion King’.

“You remember when Mufasa dies in 'The Lion King', right? Do you remember the sound of the wildebeest? So that was all around us," Priyanka Chopra told Cinema Blend.





The filming of ‘Varanasi’ in Kenya coincided with the actual migration season, and SS Rajamouli wanted to capture it authentically. “In the middle of real wildebeest because it was during the migration period, and that's what he wanted,” she recalled.

So, the team, including the actors, adjusted to the plans. “He wanted specifically. So we kept moving our shoot because the animals weren't starting to migrate. And as soon as their migration process started, the whole crew picked up, and we went there, shot.”

Priyanka Chopra also added that the safety was never compromised. “We had rangers around us, but because our frames were so wide and they had to be out of frame,” the ‘Varanasi’ actress recalled.

Mahesh Babu added that they happened to see elephants during the schedule. "There's a family of elephants going. Oh my gosh, and we kept following them,” he said.

Priyanka Chopra quipped that wild elephants were part of the frame! “Wherever the elephants went, they had to be in our background. And we had to do this scene like banter of talking to each other, and you can see the family of elephants right behind us and they were all real. The government of Kenya really, really helped us shoot the way I don't think that's been shot ever before,” Priyanka Chopra added.

SS Rajamouli’s ‘Varanasi’ features Mahesh Babu, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and Prithviraj Sukumaran in the lead roles. There were speculations that the film would be a two-part saga, given that ‘Baahubali’ was one. However, the director dismissed the rumors. "We considered it briefly, and we quickly dropped the idea. It's a one-part film,” he said, and confirmed that the film has a runtime of three hours.Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”