Varmaa, the Tamil remake of 2017 Telugu hit Arjun Reddy, will be re-shot with a new director, the producers announced on Thursday, days before the film’s February 14 release. The film is now eyeing a June release, producers E4 Entertainment said.
The film’s director was Bala, whose credits include the National Film Award winning Tamil movies Sethu (1999), Naan Kadavul (2009) and Paradesi (2013). Its lead actor, debutante Dhruv Vikram, the son of Tamil actor Vikram, will be retained, the producers said in a statement.
The statement said the re-shoot was necessitated by creative differences. “We are not at all happy with the final version handed over to us...we have decided not to release this version,” it read. A new cast, director and crew will be announced soon, it added. However, the producers did not mention the fate of the rest of the cast, which includes Meghna Chowdhury, Easwari Rao, Raiza Wilson and Akash Premkumar.
Sandeep Vanga’s Arjun Reddy, starring Vijay Deverakonda and Shalini Pandey, followed a troubled young doctor grappling with alcoholism and drug addiction when his girlfriend is forced by her family to end their relationship. The film is also being remade in Hindi as Kabir Singh, starring Shahid Kapoor and Kiara Advani, with Vanga as the director.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!