Mahesh Babu’s Christmas Celebration Goes Viral As Actor Trains For SS Rajamouli’s Varanasi

Mahesh Babu and Namrata Shirodkar’s Christmas celebration has caught the attention of fans across social media, with glimpses from the festive evening quickly going viral. The Telugu superstar and his wife hosted a warm and intimate gathering attended by family members and close friends, offering followers a rare look into their holiday traditions.

Sharing moments from the celebration, Namrata took to her Instagram stories to post an unseen family picture featuring Mahesh Babu and their children. She captioned the image, “The big celebration family". Several celebrities, including Nani, Allu Arjun, Ram Charan and others, also extended Christmas wishes to fans, adding to the festive cheer online.

Mahesh Babu Begins Kalaripayattu Training for SS Rajamouli’s Varanasi

While enjoying the festive season, Mahesh Babu has also begun preparing for one of the most demanding roles of his career. The actor is currently training in Kalaripayattu, one of India’s oldest martial art forms, for SS Rajamouli’s upcoming time-travel epic Varanasi. The high-budget project is being positioned as a magnum opus and is slated for a Sankranti 2027 theatrical release.

Mahesh Babu essays the role of Rudhra in the film, marking his first collaboration with SS Rajamouli following the director’s global success with RRR (2022). The film earned international acclaim, including an Oscar and a Golden Globe for “Naatu Naatu".

The actor’s martial arts training came into the spotlight after Hyderabad-based instructor Hari Krish shared photos with Mahesh Babu on Instagram. Alongside one image, he wrote, “I never thought my journey would lead me to train a global star of Indian cinema on Kalaripayattu." He later added, “Feeling proud and truly blessed to have trained @urstrulymahesh sir in the ancient martial art of Kalaripayattu. His lifestyle, aura, and hospitality are deeply inspiring."

SS Rajamouli Praises Mahesh Babu’s Discipline on Sets

SS Rajamouli also spoke about Mahesh Babu’s work ethic while attending the title announcement event of Varanasi at Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad. Speaking about the actor, the filmmaker said, “There is something about Mahesh Babu’s character."

Highlighting the actor’s discipline, Rajamouli added, “Something we can all learn from him. Let me tell you, when Mahesh Babu comes to the office or shooting, he will not touch his cell phone. He will work for eight hours, and only when he goes back, he looks at his cell phone."

On Saturday, the makers officially announced the title Varanasi and confirmed that Mahesh Babu plays a character named Rudhra. As anticipation builds, the combination of Rajamouli’s vision and Mahesh Babu’s preparation has already set expectations high for the upcoming epic.