Varma, Tamil remake of Arjun Reddy, to feature debutante Megha Choudhary opposite Dhruv Vikram

Debutante actress Megha, a model who hails from Bengal, has been signed to play the lead heroine in director Bala’s Varma, the official Tamil remake of the commercially and critically acclaimed Telugu blockbuster Arjun Reddy helmed by Sandeep Vanga. The project marked the debut of Shalini Pandey in feature films, and she went on to become one of the busiest actors in Tamil and Telugu industries.

Produced by Mukesh Mehta under his home banner E4E Entertainment, Varma marks the debut feature of Dhruv, son of actor Chiyaan Vikram. The makers have been keeping the heroine’s name under wraps up for the past three months. Before signing Megha, names like Shriya Sharma, who played Suriya and Jyotika’s daughter in Sillunu Oru Kadhal, and Subbulakshmi, daughter of Gautami, were doing the rounds. In an interview to Tamil weekly Kumudam, Megha said, “I’m basically a Kathak dancer. Bala sir was on the lookout for someone who is specialized in Kathak. That’s how I landed the role. It’s a dream come true moment for me. I was a little scared when I met Bala sir for the first time. And, there was a language problem too. But, Bala was very soft-spoken and cordial.” She also added: “Audiences shouldn’t compare Arjun Reddy and Varma. 60% percent of the story in Varma has been changed. Varma will be more special. I’m very excited. I have done a Bengali film. Varma is my first film in the South.”

Arjun Reddy was one of the biggest blockbusters of 2017 in Telugu cinema, and the film’s lead hero Vijay Deverakonda signed consecutive projects in Telugu after the success at the ticket window. When there was serious competition between top production houses in Kollywood to bag the film’s Tamil remake rights, E4E Entertainment finally secured it. Director Bala, who provided a breakthrough for Vikram in films such as Sethu and Pithamagan, which fetched the latter a National Award, was signed to helm the project. In fact, after the release of Arjun Reddy, some of the moviegoers pointed out the eerie similarities between the basic story of Sethu and Arjun Reddy. DOP Sukumar, fondly known as ‘Mynaa’ Sukumar in Kollywood, is handling the film’s cinematography. The team has already shot important portions of the film with Dhruv and other supporting actors. Now, the current schedule will feature the combination scenes between Dhruv and Megha.