More drama to Dhruv Vikram’s Varmaa

So much has happened to the Tamil remake of Vijay Devarkonda’s ‘Arjun Reddy’. The producers were apparently not satisfied with the finished product so they just scrapped the whole film, fired the director and the cast but retained only the lead actor.

E4 Entertainment has engaged B studios to recreate the Tamil version of Arjun Reddy titled as Varmaa, on a first copy basis, on the latter’s insistence. We at E4 Entertainment are not happy with the final version handed over to us and due to various creative and other differences; we have decided not to release this version.

We will start afresh, and shoot a new Tamil version of Arjun Reddy with Dhruv as the main lead by staying true to the soul and the intention of the original. Official announcements regarding the cast and crew including director will be made shortly – E4 Entertainment

It is shocking because we don’t think we have ever heard of something like this happen, especially when it involves the debut of a star kid. We have heard of patchwork being required, but never has a big project been scrapped only because the producers were unhappy with it.

So…

Last year, it was announced that Vikram’s son Dhruv was supposed to make his debut in the Arjun Reddy Tamil remake titled ‘Varmaa’. He got prepared for the lead role and did his part. The shooting was done and the teaser was released in September last year. Then, they continued the patchwork and post-production of the film.

It was only in January that they released the trailer of ‘Varmaa’ with an announcement that the film will release on Valentine’s Day.

https://www.oneshotoneplace.com/dhruv-vikram-makes-his-debut-varmaa-the-tamil-remake-of-arjun-reddy/

All was fine until February came and the producers first said that the film has not been cleared by Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI).

So by now, the producers should have already seen the film right? Why would they send it to be certified if they have not seen the film?

According to sources, Bala didn’t let the producers see the rushes when he was working on post-production. The producers claim they only got to see the final copy a few days before censor and as soon as they did, they decided to scrap the film.

No wonder the Tamil film industry was surprised and shocked when the producers announced suddenly that they didn’t want to release the version directed by Bala. They said they rejected his work and is going to assign a new director to reshoot the whole film. But Bala claimed he asked to resign for the sake of Dhruv’s career.

Apparently, it was Vikram who choose Bala to direct his son’s debut. Bala was responsible for Vikram’s big start in Tamil cinema with ‘Sethu’.

I am forced to release this explanation, due to the false statement from the producer of Varmaa. In order to safeguard creative freedom, it was my own decision to relieve myself from the project. Considering Dhruv Vikram’s future, I would like to end this here. – Bala

Can’t imagine how the director must be feeling. To be rejected on such a public platform. It’s not easy.

We don’t think something similar has happened to such a renowned director before! When we first heard the news, we thought it was a hoax. But then, the news came with an official statement from the producers so it was a done deal.

It seems all those waiting to see Dhruv in action will have to wait.

This must be a huge blow for Dhruv. Not only will he have to grow that beard again, he will also have to go through the different mood swings that his character goes through. Hopefully, this time he will be more careful on the road. His not-yet-starting career cannot afford another controversy.

Dhruv said this back then when he was asked why he did the film:

I was studying in the US when this offer came along. Honestly, I didn’t want to leave everything and come shoot this project. I told dad that I’d only do this film if Bala mama would direct it. I grew up watching films of my dad and Bala mama. It was Bala mama who gave my dad life in Sethu. It’s him again who gave me a new lease of life via Varma. – Dhruv Vikram

One thing for sure…

Or rather, one thing we have noticed…

The producers down south in the Telugu and Tamil Film Industry, they have a lot of money. Can you imagine this happening in the Hindi Film Industry? Would a producer scrap a whole film to shoot a new version? That is not going to happen.

In fact, in Bollywood, most producers who put in a lot of money like Sajid Nadiadwala, Sidharth Roy Kapur and Kumar Taurani will be there on the sets overseeing the scenes being shot and all that.

With ‘Varmaa’, how did they go wrong? Did they not bother to check how everything was going? After all, this was going to be the debut of one of the biggest stars in Tamil cinema!

It is nice to be able to work so freely when there is the money to do so. Look at Shankar’s ‘2.0’, the film’s budget reached over 500 crore and the producers didn’t mind spending that much. Instead of letting the audience see the sloppy job of VFX people, he resent the scenes to be done again more than 2 times.

We have been wondering, where do they get the money from?

Does Vikram have to put in his own money to reshoot this film? Since it was at his insistence that they got Bala as the director.

If he is not putting any money, then that’s extremely generous of the producers to scrap the whole film and reshoot it at their own expense.

Compared to Bollywood, this is the practice in the Tamil film industry. The top stars and their directors always take the final call on their films. The big stars only work with directors of their choice and together, they choose the producer of the film.

In Bollywood, it’s producer and director who get to choose who will be in their projects as far as the main lead is concerned. Sometimes the producer comes with their favourite star or at other times, the director choose the star. As far as the female lead goes, you all know who gets to choose.

Anyways…

It was announced last week that Banita Sandhu has been cast as the lead actress opposite Dhruv. You might remember Banita from ‘October’ where she starred opposite Varun Dhawan.

According to Banita, nothing has been decided yet. No dates have been set, but she confirmed that she is on.

The film is now titled ‘Adhithya Varma’. Rumour has it, Vijay Deverakonda might just make a special appearance.

It would have been nice if they release the version they already shot. You know, for comparison purposes!

In the meantime, here’s a handsome picture of Vikram shared by Dhruv on his Instagram. When Vikram’s ‘I’ was being delayed, we used to stalk Dhruv’s insta to find out what’s happening with the film. Hah, those were the days!