At the trailer launch for his film Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari, Bollywood actor Varun Dhawan addressed the ongoing debate about the rising entourage costs of actors. He argued that the blame doesn’t rest solely on actors and that producers also need to foster a more collaborative, family-like atmosphere.
Varun explained that he feels a sense of ownership over films produced by Dharma Productions because they take excellent care of their actors. He revealed that he keeps his entourage to a small team of four and, following a rule set by his father, filmmaker David Dhawan, never brings his managers on set. He emphasized that in the current climate, with fluctuating streaming and satellite prices, “producers are the ones with the biggest risk.”
”If I start to consider all production houses as my own, then all producers also need to behave as family members,” Varun said. “That doesn’t happen. We can keep blaming actors. All the muck is thrown on the actors. We need good producers as well. They should foster a collaborative, family-like atmosphere on set. If an actor still wants to be arrogant, don’t work with them.”
His comments follow recent discussions within the industry. Filmmaker Sanjay Gupta recently claimed that some actors demand as many as six vanity vans on set, while couples ask for up to 11, including a separate one for their kitchen. Rakesh Roshan and Farah Khan have also previously spoken about how these costs inflate film budgets.
Directed by Shashank Khaitan, Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari is a romantic drama starring Varun Dhawan, Janhvi Kapoor, Sanya Malhotra, and Rohit Saraf. Produced by Dharma Productions, the film is set to release in cinemas on October 2.