Rejected In Bollywood In Action Roles, Varun Dhawan Credits South Cinema For 'Great Opportunities'

Varun Dhawan is gearing up for the release of his highly anticipated web series Citadel: Honey Bunny, co-starring Samantha Ruth Prabhu. The makers unveiled the trailer of the spy drama during a launch event in Mumbai on Tuesday. While interacting with the media, Varun expressed gratitude to South Indian filmmakers for recognising his potential in the action genre.

Varun Dhawan recounts BTS moments on the Citadel set

The actor reflects on his time on the sets of the Indian version of Citadel and his interaction with Amazon 's security team present on the set. He recalled a conversation with one of the security officers and shared, "Anywhere we would shoot, there would be one guy from Amazon who would come and say, 'I'm here for your security.' I would say, 'I can see what security you're giving me.' But the real question was, 'Did you enjoy it, Varun?' And I definitely did. It was a wake-up call for me."

Varun Dhawan said South Indian industry is giving him 'opportunities in action'

He then expressed his gratitude to the South Indian film industry which has been giving him "great opportunities", especially in the action genre. He opened up about working with Raj and DK, Atlee and Kirti. He also mentioned Janhvi Kapoor , referring to her South Indian background.

A lot of people are starting to take notice, and right now, I feel that it's mostly the South Indian industry recognizing me and giving me great opportunities in action, which is true. I started working with Raj and DK, and next, I’m working with Atlee and Kirti. Even Janhvi is kind of South Indian, so cheers to that! I hope this paves the way for more opportunities, and I trust that more people will take notice and give me a chance," he said at the trailer launch event.

Varun Dhawan recalls being rejected by Aditya Chopra for casting him in action movies

Varun recalled his conversation with YRF (Yash Raj Films) chairman and Managing Director Aditya Chopra during COVID. He questions Chopra for not making an action film with younger talent and if he can cast him in a film. "But he said he only wanted to give me acting roles, not action. But I kept pursuing him, and then he told me, ‘Look, I can’t do that because I can’t give you that budget right now. You’re not at that place where I can give you such a big budget.’ I kept thinking about it and then later asked him what is the budget. He then gave me a figure that you need to make something big in action.," Varun recalled.

Citadel: Honey Bunny is slated to release on Amazon Prime Video on November 7.