Sriram Raghavan: Will treat Varun like a newcomer on Arun Khetarpal

File image of Varun Dhawan. Image sourced from mid-day archives

Varun Dhawan is one of the most successful actors of the current generation, but filmmaker Sriram Raghavan says he would make sure to treat the star like a newcomer on their upcoming biopic on the youngest Param Vir Chakra recipient Arun Khetarpal.

The director-actor duo, who have previously worked together on 2015 crime drama Badlapur, recently announced that they will be reuniting for the real-life story to be produced by Dinesh Vijan.

"He has become a big star now and that's good but I am treating him like a newcomer in this film. Varun is very excited about the film. He wants to finish off his commitments before he starts the work on this project," Raghavan told PTI.

The director revealed that the 32-year-old actor would undergo intense physical training for the part.

"He has to lose weight, he has to work on the physicality. He has to go through a lot of training be it physical, the army kind of training. He has to go through and learn what the real guys do. It is much more real. It is an army film, so we want to be authentic. We are working that out now (training at army camps)."

Raghavan said the team is leaving no stone unturned to get all the facts and information right for the biopic.

"Every film has it's own challenges. For this film, we are making sure to get everything correct. We have got information from the family," he added.

The "Aandhadhun" director said the first look poster of the movie will be released either in December or January and the film will go on floors early next year.

Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates