'October' actress Banita Sandhu to make Kollywood debut with Dhruv Vikram in 'Varmaa'

Actress Banita Sandhu, who delivered a sure-footed performance in Hindi film October directed by Shoojit Sarcar, has been signed to play the female lead in Varmaa. Banita co-starred with Varun Dhawan in the acclaimed film and went to receive rave reviews for her performance. 

Varma, the official remake of Telugu blockbuster Arjun Reddy, was dropped in a sudden turn of events after the entire shooting was wrapped up by director Bala. Producer Mukesh Mehta of E4 Entertainment announced in a statement a few days back that they were not happy with the film's final output. While Dhruv Vikram has been retained as the main lead for the film, other cast and crew are yet to be finalized. 

Newcomer Megha Chowdhury was initially roped in by Bala for the role, which was reprised by Shalini Pandey in the original version that starred Vijay Deverakonda as the lead protagonist. The shooting of the film is expected to start in March, and the team is hoping for a May release. 

Rumors were abuzz in K'town that ace filmmaker Gautham Menon, who is currently busy with a bevy of projects in hand including Enai Nokki Paayum Thota, Dhruva Natchathiram and the untitled web series on Jayalalitha biopic, has been brought on board by the team to take over the reins. However, we have learned from bankable sources that one of the associates who worked with Bala in Varma will take over the project.