Producer Varun Tej is working on his new film Bhari, and it is a film that has great meaning for his family. It is the first time that Varun Tej and his sister Niharika Konidela, who is producing the film, are going to be working together as a team.
Despite the family connection, Varun has made it clear that Niharika should not expect a special discount when it comes to his professional fee.
Varun spoke about remuneration during a recent conversation with Variety India regarding the importance of making a film financially viable and his first project with his sister.
Varun Tej says sister Niharika gets no discount
When asked if he would be paid for Bhari, Varun said he is generally flexible when negotiating his remuneration and is more concerned with whether a project makes financial sense.
He said he’s sometimes involved in the budget discussion in a film and is willing to adjust his fee when necessary because the film industry is currently in a period of financial correction.
However, when it comes to his sister, Varun jokingly made it clear that the family relationship does not mean she gets preferential treatment.
“But my sister does not get a discount,” he said. “I tell her she has to pay me my full price,” he said.
The comment indicates Varun's humorous approach to working with family and his professional involvement in the project.
Varun understands the business side of filmmaking
Varun told us that his approach to remuneration is influenced by his knowledge of film production. And his father is also a producer, so he has had an insight into how hard it is to make a movie financially.
The actor wants every project he works on to be commercially viable for everyone involved, he said.
“Ideally I want the project to be viable for everyone involved as my dad is a producer himself,” Varun said.
He said he knows filmmakers have to balance production costs, budgets and market realities. But even though his collaboration with Niharika would not automatically mean that he would reduce his fee.
First collaboration between Varun and Niharika
Bhari will be the first time Varun and Niharika Konidela are working together professionally.
Niharika is producing the film under Pink Elephant Pictures, while Yadhu Vamsee, known for Committee Kurrollu, is leading the project.
Ravi Sankar D serves as co-director, and Ramesh Manyam is the executive producer.
The film is being developed as a rural sports drama centered around volleyball, which Varun plays differently from some of his recent projects.
The project is currently in the pre-production stage.
Varun Tej injured his knee in training
The actor also revealed that he suffered a knee injury while playing volleyball for Bhari.
As the film is a sports movie, Varun is preparing physically for the role. But the injury has temporarily interrupted his training.
He said it will take around four more months before he is fit enough to return to volleyball.
The injury would have an impact on his preparation and the production schedule, and so the production timetable, but no details about the filming timeline have been provided so far.
Varun Tej's recent release
Meanwhile, Varun Tej was recently featured in the action-horror comedy Korean Kanakaraju in theaters on August 7.
With Bhari, the actor is now set to work on a rural sports-based story for the first time with his sister.
The family collaboration, a volleyball-centric story, and Varun's physical preparation add to Bhari as a great addition to his upcoming film slate.
Comments
Please to leave a comment on this article.