Jr NTR turned a routine promotional event into one of the funniest Telugu-film moments of the week when SS Rajamouli’s upcoming film Varanasi was brought up on stage.
The actor was seated in the front row at a Hyderabad event for Fahadh Faasil’s Don’t Trouble The Trouble, produced by SS Karthikeya, when producer KL Narayana and anchor Suma began discussing Varanasi. NTR immediately started gesturing from his seat, waving his hands, slapping his forehead and eventually folding them together as though pleading with the people on stage to understand what he meant. Rajamouli, sitting beside him, and Rama Rajamouli, seated behind, could be seen laughing at the exchange.
The moment looked chaotic in isolation, but NTR was not trying to stop anyone from discussing Varanasi altogether. He was apparently suggesting that Narayana should save a longer conversation about the film for the time when its promotions properly begin.
KL Narayana initially misunderstood Jr NTR
That misunderstanding is what made the exchange work.
When NTR began gesturing, Narayana first assumed the actor wanted him to talk about Varanasi immediately and responded, “About Varanasi? But there’s time for that.” Suma eventually interpreted NTR’s gestures correctly, explaining that he was asking Narayana to speak more when the film’s own release promotions begin.
By then, NTR had already dramatically slapped his forehead and folded his hands, while Rajamouli and Rama struggled to contain their laughter.
Suma summed up his mood at the event with a simple observation: “Tarak is in full form today.”
Clips of the exchange quickly spread online, with fans treating NTR’s expressions as instant meme material. The humour mostly comes from how much the actor manages to communicate without actually taking the microphone.
NTR also teased Rajamouli about the ‘Varanasi’ release date
The playful moment was not the only time Varanasi came up during the event.
NTR later turned the conversation toward the film while discussing his own upcoming project Dragon, directed by Prashanth Neel. Before offering an update about Dragon, he jokingly asked Rajamouli for reassurance about whether Varanasi would actually arrive on schedule.
The exchange prompted another useful confirmation.
Producer Ravi Shankar of Mythri Movie Makers said Dragon is set for June 11, 2027, while Varanasi remains scheduled for April 7, 2027. The latter date had already been announced earlier this year, but its repetition at the event offered fresh reassurance that the film remains on track.
That matters because Varanasi is still a major production. Rajamouli said in July that around 80 shooting days remained at the time, although the large action portions had already been completed.
‘Varanasi’ is still keeping most of its story under wraps
Rajamouli’s next film stars Mahesh Babu, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Prithviraj Sukumaran, with Mahesh playing Rudhra, Priyanka appearing as Mandakini and Prithviraj as Kumbha. The project has been positioned as a large-scale action adventure spanning different periods and locations, while Rajamouli has confirmed that it will be released as a single film rather than split into two parts.
The filmmaker has also said Mahesh Babu will portray Lord Rama during part of the story, one of the details that has pushed anticipation far beyond an ordinary action-film setup.
None of that, however, was really the point of NTR’s viral moment.
What viewers saw at the Don’t Trouble The Trouble event was simply the easy rapport between people who have worked together for years. NTR and Rajamouli’s association stretches from films including Student No. 1 and Yamadonga to the global success of RRR, so NTR teasing the director over another ambitious release felt less like a formal industry interaction and more like friends having fun in public.
This time, NTR did not need a dialogue to steal the scene. A few frantic hand movements and one well-timed forehead slap were enough.
