Varun Dhawan has stated that he would not be working on Sriram Raghavan’s biopic of Arun Khetrapal, the youngest recipient of the Param Vir Chakra, but hopes that the filmmaker will do the film with a different actor in the future.
Dinesh Vijan backed the project, which was unveiled in 2019. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the film was pushed back. Dhawan told PTI ahead of the premiere of his next film “Jugjugg Jeeyo” that the biopic’s production was beset by delays.
“Every time we tried to start the film, we got hit by a wave. I was dying to that film but I don’t think I can do it anymore because too many things have come up. Sriram also went to his other film. It was just impossible to shoot the film in the pandemic with those many people staging it,” the actor said.
The film would have marked the second collaboration between the actor and the director after their 2015 hit “Badlapur”.
In December 2020, Dhawan began work on Dharma Productions’ multi-starrer comedy drama “Jugjugg Jeeyo,” while Raghavan helmed “Merry Christmas,” starring Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi.
Another reason the actor won’t be able to do the biography is that the role requires him to play a 21-year-old, something he isn’t sure about right now.
“Now that things have calmed down, I keep urging Sriram. I’ve begged him that he should make it with someone else. I might play some other part in it if I have to. My thing is, how do I play a 21-year-old now?
“I’m conscious about that. I don’t feel convinced. Sriram and I share an honest relationship with each other. But I’ll still try to convince Sriram to make it because it’s a story that needs to be told,” he added.
