Varun Dhawan and his October heroine, Banita Sandhu
Varun Dhawan and his October heroine, Banita SandhuTwitter

Varun Dhawan is one of the popular stars in Bollywood in the younger generation. He is riding high on the success of back-to-back hit movies — Badrinath Ki Dulhania and Judwaa 2 — he delivered at the box office last year.

Now, he will be seen in a serious flick, October, directed by Shoojit Sircar. Varun, who hiked his remuneration to Rs 25 crore after Judwaa 2's success, has slashed it by more than 50 percent for October, Mid-Day reported.

Why did he slash it?

Varun loved the script of October and he decided not to put the movie's quality and the fame of debutante Banita Sandhu at stake by charging his market price.

A source close to Varun told Mid-Day: "When Shoojit approached him with the script, he made it clear that it would be another small-budget film, along the lines of what he is known to make. Varun was quite taken by the story and knew that he had to be a part of the project. He readily agreed to cut down his fee for the director."

Varun Dhawan and Banita Sandhu
Varun Dhawan and Banita Sandhu from OctoberInstagram

What is Varun's remuneration for October?

The budget of the film is said to be Rs 20 crore, which is lesser than Varun's market price of Rs 25 crore. So he decided to cut down the price and is now reportedly charging around Rs 12 crore. 

A trade insider told the daily: "If you see his filmography, he has consciously mixed the masala fare with films like Badlapur (2015) and now, October.Varun understood that October needs to be made on the right budget to be viable and recover its cost. Since the film was envisioned on a budget of Rs 20 crore, he slashed his fee by more than 50 percent."

Varun is set to give another Badlapur with October this year. Its teaser was out a few days ago and after watching it, one thing is certain: Shoojit Sircar is set to woo us once again with stunning visuals and a soothing background score.

Talking to media, Varun had said: "Shooting this film is a life-changing experience for me as an actor and as an individual. This is one film that has challenged me the most. As a director, what he expected me to do was difficult for me and that is when I started understanding the deeper side of acting and thought if I would be able to pull it off."