Mahesh Babu plays the protagonist Rudhra in SS Rajamouli's upcoming time-travelling adventure Varanasi. The film also stars Prithviraj and Priyanka Chopra. On Mahesh Babu’s birthday, August 9, the actor and the team of his upcoming film Varanasi gave his fans a present. The team of the SS Rajamouli film unveiled two unseen pictures of Mahesh as Rudhra, the film’s protagonist. The pictures show the actor in Masai Mara in Africa, where part of the film is set. Even as fans raved about their favourite star, not everyone was impressed with the pictures, with many calling them too sanitised like TV advertisements.Mahesh Babu in an unseen still from SS Rajamouli's Varanasi.New unseen pictures of Mahesh Babu from VaranasiThe new pictures were first shared on Sunday morning by Discussing Film, a social media platform dedicated to cinema. Minutes later, the official handle of Varanasi and Mahesh himself shared the two images. Sharing the pictures on social media, Mahesh Babu tagged director SS Rajamouli and the film’s account, writing, “A little more of Rudhra’s world… #Varanasi.”The pictures show the actor dressed in a simple shirt and cargo pants resting on top of a platform in the wilderness with his boots and bag kept next to him. Another picture shows a close up of Mahesh’s face as he looks away from the camera, with zebras and the fields of Masai Mara visible behind him.Discussing Film shared a quote from director SS Rajamouli about the pictures. "Rudhra was born to fulfil a purpose much larger than himself. He carries a destiny he did not ask for. He is witty, he is vulnerable, and he is fierce. That is what Mahesh brought to him. Anyone can play fierce. Very few can play fierce and fragile in the same breath. These frames are from our Africa schedule, and the land gave us something no set could. Shooting around Kilimanjaro and in the Masai Mara, I was stunned. There were mornings I felt even the 1.43:1 IMAX frame could not hold what was in front of us,” the director said.Internet unimpressed by the new picturesFans of Mahesh Babu lapped up the pictures as soon as they dropped. “He is giving me lord Vishnu vibes ... What a calm face & overall aura,” wrote one. Many others wished the actor a happy birthday. The actor turns 51 on Sunday.However, the general sentiment online was that the pictures revealed too little and almost nothing new. “Not satisfied…expecting more,” complained one social media user. Another tweeted, “Felt like mountain dew ad photos 😔 waiting for something special update.” Many others jokingly responded with the Mountain Dew tagline in Telugu, implying that the pictures did indeed appear to be from one of the Mountain Dew ads that Mahesh Babu has recently done. “Looks unnatural, why they need to show main character look clean, perfectly shaved when he's on a adventurous mission in the jungle,” lamented one viewer.All about VaranasiDirected by SS Rajamouli, Varanasi is being touted as a time-travelling adventure linked to the Ramayana. Mahesh Babu plays an adventurer named Rudhra who must travel across the world and time to get an artefact that may destroy the world if it falls into the wrong hands. The film also stars Priyanka Chopra and features Prithviraj Sukumaran as the antagonist. One of the most expensive Indian films ever made, Varanasi will release in April 2027.Abhimanyu Mathur is Deputy Editor, Entertainment at Hindustan Times. With almost 15 years of experience in writing about everything from films and TV shows to cricket matches and elections, he inhales and exhales pop culture and news. Currently, he watches movies and TV shows and talks to celebrities for a living, while occasionally writing about them as well.