Varun Dhawan opens up on 'Bhediya's sub-par commercial performance
Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon starrer Bhediya—part of Dinesh Vijan's horror comedy universe—was released in theaters in November 2022. While the reviews were mixed to positive, especially for Dhawan's performance, surprisingly, this didn't translate into encouraging box office numbers. Made on a budget of approximately Rs. 60cr, the film collected about Rs. 90cr worldwide. Now, Dhawan has shared his views on the film's performance.
Dhawan happy about OTT reaction to 'Bhediya'
Speaking to The Indian Express about Bhediya's lackluster performance, Dhawan admitted, "With Bhediya, my expectations were huge." "However, the film found its audience on OTT...three months after the release, the studio surprised me with the news that there will be a sequel. I love that character and am really looking forward to playing it again," he added. The movie is available on JioCinema.
He has placed his confidence in OTT platforms
Commenting on OTT platforms, Dhawan talked about how his upcoming Bawaal could benefit from a direct-to-digital release. "With OTT, a good film can have a massive reach. Bawaal...has a global theme and...is releasing...in 200 countries. We are dubbing it in many languages so that it can reach many countries and new audiences. If it gets the sort of reach, it will be the first."
We'll need to wait for a while for 'Bhediya 2'
Dhawan announced Bhediya 2 back in April at a star-studded Jio Studios event that witnessed the presence of several noted celebrities. The film will release in 2025 and might feature cameos from characters of Vijan's Stree film franchise, too. Meanwhile, Bhediya was directed by Amar Kaushik and also starred Abhishek Banerjee, Deepak Dobriyal, and Paalin Kabak, with a special appearance by Shraddha Kapoor.
Meanwhile, look at VD's work calendar
Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor's Bawaal will release on July 21 on Amazon Prime Video. In addition to Bawaal, he also has Raj & DK's Citadel India in the pipeline, though it's unclear by when the show will be out on the aforementioned streamer. We'll also see him in a film directed by Atlee. It'll reportedly go on floors in the second half of 2023.
