"Actors should behave themselves, but producers also have to be friendly": Varun Dhawan on actors' entourage cost affecting film's budget

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], September 15 : Bollywood star Varun Dhawan shared his opinion on the ever-present debate over the cost of the actor's entourage affecting the budget of the film.

Varun Dhawan starrer 'Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari's trailer was launched in Mumbai on Monday. It was attended by the film's lead cast and crew, including Varun Dhawan, Janhvi Kapoor, Rohit Saraf, Maniesh Paul, and director Shashank Khaitan. Producer Apoorv Mehta also attended the trailer launch.

Varun believes that the actors should always keep the producer's interest as a priority, as they are the ones who often take the biggest "risks" while making a movie.

"It's quite clear, I think, in the landscape of how cinema is performing now, how OTT prices are fluctuating, satellite prices are fluctuating. It's so important that you put producers first because ultimately, they are the ones with the biggest risk appetite or the biggest risk that they are taking. So I think it's a bit going back to how things were maybe in the past," said Varun Dhawan.

Being the son of director-producer David Dhawan, Varun recounted the times when the actor used to be ignorant of the budget, which, in response, resulted in the exploitation of the producers.

"You know how people used to make films. Hopefully, nobody has to go to those lengths like in the past, because there are horror stories from then also. I've seen it in my childhood. I've seen friends lose houses. I'm not lying about this. So I genuinely feel that moving ahead, it has to be producers first, and people have to make a film together," said Varun Dhawan.

However, it is not always an actor's fault when the producer complains about the high entourage costs by the actors or the other budget-related issues, Varun added.

Varun believes that all producers should also behave like "family members" rather than blaming the actors for all the wrong things that go into making a film.

"All producers also have to behave as family members. We can keep blaming actors because, obviously, it falls on the shoulders of the actor. Eventually, the bill explodes on the name of the lead. It is followed by the stories coming out, blind articles coming out, trolling happens, and all the muck is thrown on them," said Varun Dhawan.

While the actor advocates for the right behaviour of the film artists, Varun also calls for the development of a more "friendly and family-like environment" by the producers during the making of the film.

"100% actors also should behave themselves, but producers also have to go into it with a little less, with a more friendly and family-like environment. I think if you create that, actors will say yes. And if an actor doesn't want to do it still, don't take them. Don't work with them," said Varun Dhawan.

Co-actor Maniesh Paul also chipped in, saying that the issue of entourage starts when the makers begin to differentiate between actors in a movie in terms of providing them with facilities on set.

"I think the issue of entourage starts where you have to give and not give. That is where I feel the problem with the actors starts. Who got the entourage and who didn't?" said Maniesh Paul.

Director Shashank Khaitan believes that actors are now more aware of their responsibilities towards movie budgets and their recovery.

"As we are growing, as we are evolving, as we are understanding budgets and recoveries of movies better, I think everyone is cognisant of the fact that they need to change. I don't think anyone is so bullheaded in saying that, hey, my film is not working, but I still want so many people to travel with me," said Shashank Khaitan.

He continued, "Everyone is a bit cognisant of the fact that we need to ensure that the film is made in a certain budget that the producer has a fair chance to recover it, and ultimately we are all ensuring that the money spent is visible on screen and not necessarily off it."

'Sunny Sunskari Ki Tulsi Kumari' is slated to release in theatres on October 2, 2025.

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