Hindustan Times ST (Jaipur) - Hindustan Times (Jaipur) - City
Varun says no to ‘clichéd comedies’
The fifth day of Cannes Film Festival was heavy on Hollywood star power. Actor Adam Sandler earned rave reviews for his performance in filmmaker Noah Baumbach’s The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) after it was premiered at the French Riviera festival. The film also features actors Ben Stiller, Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson. When the film’s cast assembled for a press conference, it was noted that this was the second time Sandler and Stiller have featured together in a movie, after the 1996 classic comedy, Happy Gilmore. At which, Stiller quipped,“i just think it’s cool to hear ‘Happy Gilmore’ mentioned at the Cannes.” Actors Nicole Kidman and Elle Fanning also walked the red carpet. The two came for the screening of How to Talk to Girls at Parties. The John Cameron Mitchell directorial — based on English author Neil Gaiman’s short story set against the ’70s British punk scene — received mixed response from the audience. French actor Isabelle Huppert also walked the red carpet on Sunday.
Being a true blue Punjabi, Fukrey (2013) actor Varun Sharma (left) is always eager to do films in his language. Having done Yaaran Da Katchup in 2014, the 27-year-old says that the offers he received recently from the industry weren’t good enough. “Look at the films such as Punjab 1984 (2014), Bambukat (2016) and Manje Bistre (2017). Undoubtedly, it’s a good time to be a part of the Punjabi film industry. Of late, I had got a few offers to play comic characters but none of them were appealing. I have no problem with the genre, but I am against clichéd comedy. I want to explore films with good content,” says Varun. The actor is also keen on working with leading Punjabi stars Diljit Dosanjh (inset) and Gippy Grewal. “I’m a huge admirer of Diljit and love his journey as an actor and as a singer. I feel he has taken comedy to a different space. There’s so much to learn from him. We met a couple of times and he is a wonderful soul. I would love to work with Gippy Grewal too. He is an entertaining actor,” he adds.