Latest news with #RanvirVinayAurKaun
News18
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- News18
'Farhan Akhtar Got Rs 45 Lakh, I Earned Rs 45,000': Why Varun Grover Quit Writing For Stars
Varun Grover recalls writing for Farhan Akhtar's show, revealing a shocking pay gap and why he stopped creating stand-up content for TV and movie stars. Varun Grover may now be recognised for his acclaimed work as a filmmaker and writer, but his journey began much earlier in India's television and comedy circuit. Before gaining praise for films like Masaan, Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar, and his directorial debut All India Rank, Grover worked behind the scenes as a comedy writer on several TV shows. Among his early gigs was writing for popular shows like The Great Indian Comedy Show and Ranvir Vinay Aur Kaun. But one particular experience made him rethink writing for television altogether — his time on Oye! It's Friday!, a celebrity talk show hosted by Farhan Akhtar. 'After Ranvir Vinay Aur Kaun, I joined Farhan saab's Oye! It's Friday! It was during my time there that I realised that there was not much value addition happening from the side of the performer to the material I was writing for them," Grover shared in an interview with The Lallantop. He recalled the moment he learned just how wide the earnings gap was between performers and writers. 'That was also the first time I got to know how much actors make doing such shows. Even though I had an idea prior to that as well, I did not assume the gap to be so big. But once I learnt about it – maybe it's false information and somebody told me this only to provoke me; I can't say for sure – I realised the gap was huge. He was being paid Rs 45 lakh for each episode, while I was earning just Rs 45,000." Grover said the contrast between effort and reward felt unfair, especially when the material was entirely his. 'It was my material, and he was just delivering the lines. (Although he's getting paid 100 times more) There wasn't 100 times the value added." He also spoke about the scale of production, revealing how lavish the set was. 'The show was shot in Yash Raj Studio. It was a really good, expensive set. Had I stolen one of those twinkling balls hanging there each day, my daily Rs 45,000 would've been sorted. That was the first time I saw such a dazzling set." Eventually, the glam, the imbalance, and growing restrictions pushed him away from the format. 'By then, I had also lost interest in writing stand-up for television, particularly since censorship had also started." Grover's reflection offers a candid look into the often-unspoken struggles of writers in entertainment — underpaid, undervalued, and frequently overshadowed by star power. First Published: June 10, 2025, 14:06 IST
Time of India
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
'Farhan Akhtar earned Rs 45 lakh per episode for saying jokes written by me, I got only Rs 45 thousand,' says Varun Grover as he realised the pay disparity between actors and writers
Varun Grover is a wellknown screenwriter, lyricist known for projects like 'All India Rank', 'Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar', 'Masaan' and more. He's also known for being a stand-up comedian and during the start of his career, he also worked for television shows. He had worked as a scriptwriter on 'Oye! It's Friday!' which was hosted by Farhan Akhtar . That's when he realised the pay disparity between an actor and writer. He said during an interview with The Lallantop, "After Ranvir Vinay Aur Kaun, I joined Farhan saab's Oye! It's Friday! It was during my time there that I realised that there was not much value addition happening from the side of the performer to the material I was writing for them. That was also the first time I got to know how much actors make doing such shows. Even though I had an idea prior to that as well, I did not assume the gap to be so big. But once I learnt about it – maybe it's false information and somebody told me this only to provoke me; I can't say for sure – I realised the gap was huge. He was being paid Rs 45 lakh for each episode, while I was earning just Rs 45,000." He added further that he got paid so less despite the fact that the show was mounted on a huge budget, the set was so extravagant. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch CFD với công nghệ và tốc độ tốt hơn IC Markets Đăng ký Undo The props on the set costed the amount which he was getting paid. He said, "It was my material, and he was just delivering the lines. (Although he's getting paid 100 times more) There wasn't 100 times the value added. The show was shot in Yash Raj Studio. It was a really good, expensive set. Had I stolen one of those twinkling balls hanging there each day, my daily Rs 45,000 would've been sorted. That was the first time I saw such a dazzling set. By then, I had also lost interest in writing stand-up for television, particularly since censorship had also started.' In the same interview, Varun also clarified about his comment, 'NO' which he dropped on Anurag Kashyap 's post praising Sandeep Reddy Vanga after 'Animal'.
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
‘Farhan Akhtar earned Rs 45 lakh for saying jokes I wrote for Rs 45,000': Varun Grover recalls moment of clarity that made him quit TV
After contributing to quite a few films as a lyricist, Varun Grover made his debut as a screenwriter with Neeraj Ghaywan's Masaan (2015). Although the movie opened to widespread acclaim, it took Varun a few more years to establish himself further. During this time, he emerged as one of India's most popular stand-up comics. With his recent outings such as Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar, All India Rank (which also marked his directorial debut) and Superboys of Malegaon earning positive responses, he has managed to establish himself as a bankable film writer who prioritises substance over glitz, a quality fast vanishing from Bollywood. During his initial days, he also served as a writer on several hit shows like The Great Indian Comedy Show and Ranvir Vinay Aur Kaun. Recently, Varun Grover opened up about his experience working as a writer on the Farhan Akhtar-hosted talk show 'Oye! It's Friday!' Maintaining that the actor earned 100 times more than he did using the material he created, and that, too, without any value addition, Varun shared that he decided not to write stand-up material for movie stars anymore after that. 'After Ranvir Vinay Aur Kaun, I joined Farhan saab's Oye! It's Friday! It was during my time there that I realised that there was not much value addition happening from the side of the performer to the material I was writing for them. That was also the first time I got to know how much actors make doing such shows. Even though I had an idea prior to that as well, I did not assume the gap to be so big. But once I learnt about it – maybe it's false information and somebody told me this only to provoke me; I can't say for sure – I realised the gap was huge. He was being paid Rs 45 lakh for each episode, while I was earning just Rs 45,000,' he shared during a chat with The Lallantop. He further mentioned that even the set on which the talk show was shot was so extravagant that some of the props cost as much as his remuneration per episode. Varun noted, 'It was my material, and he was just delivering the lines. (Although he's getting paid 100 times more) There wasn't 100 times the value added. The show was shot in Yash Raj Studio. It was a really good, expensive set. Had I stolen one of those twinkling balls hanging there each day, my daily Rs 45,000 would've been sorted. That was the first time I saw such a dazzling set. By then, I had also lost interest in writing stand-up for television, particularly since censorship had also started.'
