KKR’s Varun Chakravarthy once worked in Tamil films for Rs 600 a day; read to know more

Varun Chakravarthy acting journey

Varun Chakravarthy led a life that few would associate with cricketing stardom prior to becoming one of the Indian Premier League's most talked-about spin bowlers.

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) cricket player, who is currently valued at ₹12 crore per season, once made ₹600 per day as a junior artist in a Tamil film. This story has an almost cinematic feel to it.

In a candid chat with R Ashwin on his YouTube channel, Varun revealed that cricket wasn’t always the goal. “I signed as a junior artist for ₹600 per day,” he said, referring to his appearance in the 2014 Tamil film Jeeva, directed by Suseenthiran. Back then, Varun was dabbling in various creative pursuits—architecture, filmmaking, music—and was even working as an assistant director when he found himself playing a cricketer on screen.

When Ashwin cheekily asked about his current daily allowance, Varun smiled and replied, “Right now it’s $300 (₹25,000).” He added that his casting in Jeeva stemmed from his regular participation in tennis ball tournaments, where he was already showing flashes of his bowling talent.

“They used to announce that if you hit a six, you get ₹300. If you bowl a yorker, you’ll get ₹200,” he recalled.

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Following his breakthrough performance in the 2018 Tamil Nadu Premier League, Varun's ascent was swift. He was signed by Kings XI Punjab for the 2019 IPL that same year. However, Shah Rukh Khan's KKR saw his potential and signed him in the 2020 auction, keeping him ever since.

Varun was born in 1991 in Bidar, Karnataka, and has a varied South Indian heritage. His mother Malini is Kannadiga, and his father Vinod, an ITS officer with BSNL, is half Malayali and half Tamil.

It seemed risky to abandon a secure architecture career with a ₹14,000 salary to pursue cricket, but Varun is now a living example of pursuing one's passion, no matter how late or uncertain the beginning.