The wedding poster from Vijay Deverakonda and Rashmika Mandanna-starrer Ranabaali.A film poster became something far more personal this week. On Sunday, Ranabaali director Rahul Sankrityan took to social media to share what most viewers of the film’s wedding poster never knew, that the image was never planned as a promotional asset at all.“This wasn’t designed as a poster. It was a moment,” he wrote. In his post, Sankrityan explained the thinking that shaped the image. The director said he has always been drawn to old photographs, the way people stood before cameras in earlier generations, with no rehearsed expressions, no performance, just presence. That rawness, he said, is what he wanted to capture.“The late 1800s were not glamorous times. They were harsh, grounded, deeply rooted in soil and survival. But within that world, marriages carried dignity. Weight. Permanence,” he wrote.When Vijay Deverakonda and Rashmika Mandanna arrived on set in wedding costumes, something shifted, he said. He asked for a simple backdrop, no dramatic lighting, no stylised posing, just stillness. “They didn’t look like actors playing dress-up. They looked like they had travelled through time.” What followed was instinct, not planning. The image was captured in that quiet. “Like a memory pulled from their forgotten trunk,” he wrote.STORY BEHIND THE WEDDING POSTERYesterday, we released the wedding poster of Ranabaali.But this wasn’t designed as a “poster.” It was a moment.I’ve always been fascinated by old photographs — our parents, grandparents… the way they stood before a camera. No posing. No… pic.twitter.com/ppuBj9tMjQ— Rahul Sankrityan (@Rahul_Sankrityn) March 1, 2026The wedding poster from Ranabaali was released on Saturday, just two days after Vijay Deverakonda and Rashmika Mandanna‘s real wedding in Udaipur. The timing made Rahul Sankrityan’s revelation all the more striking. “When it aligns with their real wedding, it feels surreal. Sometimes cinema and life nod at each other,” he said.He ended his post with a line that stopped a lot of people mid-scroll: “Some bonds are eternal. And sometimes, I feel this is their marriage picture from their past lives.”After the post gained traction, Vijay Deverakonda responded. “Made me emotional,” he wrote, tagging the director. “Your immense attention to real details and the people has excited and motivated me immensely, so interesting to read this and the details. This is a story, Ranabaali, from our lands and me and Rashmika are all in with you on this great journey to make great cinema.”Also Read: From college student to Bollywood history: Allu Sirish’s role in Aamir Khan’s GhajiniStory continues below this adRanabaali is a period drama directed by Rahul Sankrityan. Set in colonial-era India, the film is inspired by real events between 1854 and 1878 during British rule. Vijay Deverakonda plays a fierce freedom fighter named Ranabaali, while Rashmika Mandanna plays his wife, Jayamma.Ranabaali is backed by Mythri Movie Makers in association with T-Series, with music by Ajay-Atul and lyrics by Ramajogayya Sastry. The film is set for a worldwide theatrical release on September 11 in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, and Kannada.It will mark Vijay Deverakonda and Rashmika Mandanna’s third collaboration, following Geetha Govindam in 2018 and Dear Comrade in 2019, and the first since they became husband and wife.Click here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.© IE Online Media Services Pvt LtdTags:Rashmika MandannaVijay Deverakonda