Did Varun Dhawan slash his fee by more than 50 pc for Shoojit Sircar's October?

Varun Dhawan

Having delivered two hits - Badrinath Ki Dulhania and Judwaa 2 (both 2017) - in a year that otherwise witnessed a drought at the box office, it was reported that Varun Dhawan had hiked his fee. But in an interesting development, mid-day has learnt that the actor apparently slashed his remuneration for Shoojit Sircar's October.

Shoojit Sircar

A source close to Varun Dhawan says, "When Shoojit approached him with the script, he made it clear that it would be another small-budget film, along the lines of what he is known to make. Varun was quite taken by the story and knew that he had to be a part of the project. He readily agreed to cut down his fee for the director." While many actors opt for a lower remuneration and hold a stake in the film's profits, the source adds that Dhawan decided to forego the option.

Also read: Varun Dhawan and Banita Sindhu's October teaser will make you fall in love

Another trade insider reveals that although Dhawan had indeed hiked his fee to a whopping Rs 25 crore after the success of Judwaa 2, he did not want to burden the Banita Sandhu-starrer with his market price. The trade insider says, "If you see his filmography, he has consciously mixed the masala fare with films like Badlapur (2015) and now, October. Varun understood that October needs to be made on the right budget to be viable and recover its cost. Since the film was envisioned on a budget of R20 crore, he slashed his fee by more than 50 per cent."

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