Citadel: Honey Bunny Trailer Launch: Varun Dhawan recalls Aditya Chopra refusing to cast him in action film due to budget; ‘Only South Indians…’

As a dedicated follower of Varun Dhawan’s career, it’s fascinating to witness his journey from being overlooked for action roles due to budget constraints to becoming a sought-after action star in the industry. It seems that the South Indians have recognized his potential earlier than some others, but I’m hopeful that with his upcoming projects like Citadel: Honey Bunny and Baby John, the rest of the industry will take notice too.


In his upcoming ventures, Varun Dhawan is gearing up to display a high-energy action persona. At the unveiling of the Citadel: Honey Bunny trailer, the actor reminisced about Aditya Chopra initially turning down casting him in an action flick due to financial limitations. Additionally, Varun shared that it was primarily Southern filmmakers who recognized his potential for action roles.

On October 15th, 2024, at the trailer launch event, I found myself expressing, “At this moment, it seems like it’s only the talented artists from the South who are taking notice of me and offering me incredible action roles.” As I embark on my journey with Raj & DK and the enchanting Samantha Ruth Prabhu in Citadel: Honey Bunny, I can’t wait to see what opportunities await me. Post that, I’ll be diving headfirst into Baby John alongside Atlee and Keerthy Suresh. Here’s hoping this collaboration will finally catch the attention of others within the industry as well!

During the lockdown, Varun divulged that his statements were prompted by a meeting with Aditya Chopra. He disclosed that he played badminton with the movie director, Maneesh Sharma, who were working on Tiger 3 at the time. He recollected asking Aditya Chopra why he didn’t produce an action film featuring a younger actor. Varun also reminisced about expressing his desire to be cast by saying, “Why don’t you ever give me a chance?

VD mentioned persistently chasing after Chopra, who then replied, “I’m unable to do that since I can’t provide you with the required budget at this moment. You’re not yet at the level where I can offer such a substantial budget.” Later on, Varun inquired about the budget via text message. According to him, Chopra subsequently provided a figure suitable for producing a large-scale action film.

Approaching Citadel: Honey Bunny (Varun Dhawan) reflected on inquiring about the budget from the producers, a piece of advice he picked up from Aditya Chopra. He gratefully acknowledged Amazon and Raj & DK for offering him this chance.

Under the guidance of directors Raj and DK, this show is a joint production between D2R Films and Amazon MGM Studios. In executive producer roles are The Russo Brothers’ AGBO alongside Raj and DK. Excitingly, Citadel: Honey Bunny will be streaming on Amazon Prime Video starting November 7.

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2024-10-15 14:52