Varun Dhawan confirms teaming up with Anees Bazmee

MUMBAI: Bollywood star Varun Dhawan has hinted that he is set to collaborate with "Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2" director Anees Bazmee on a feature film.

There were reports about the actor joining hands with Bazmee for an action comedy.

At the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) press conference on Tuesday night, Dhawan said he always wanted to work with the director.

"I admire him. He is a brilliant filmmaker. We have been talking about doing something for a long time and hopefully it should happen in some time. "Once it happens, it will be announced. But, we are working towards working together," the actor told reporters here.

Dhawan will reportedly commence shooting for his web series debut "Citadel", the Indian version of Amazon Studio's ambitious spy series, next month. It will be directed by Raj & DK and also feature Samantha Ruth Prabhu.

"I'm going to be shooting something which I will announce, it will start from December 7," he said.

When asked if he is referring to the show, Dhawan covered his mouth with his hands and quipped, "I was talking about the same thing, we'll talk about this later".

The actor, whose latest film "Bhediya" arrived in theatres last week, said he always wanted to "push the envelope" through his work. Directed by Amar Kaushik, the horror comedy has raised over Rs 44 crore in its first weekend.

"A lot of people like to forget this but I have done films like 'Badlapur' and 'October' pretty early on in my career. So I have always wanted to take risks. I am playing a wolf in 'Bhediya', it doesn't get more different than that.

"To do that and have so many reviewers and audience members get convinced that something like this can be pulled off, I think is a big feat for the industry, for Amar, Dino, and Jio Studios who backed the film. It is exciting when someone from India backs something like that. We should never stop doing that," he added.

Dhawan will also be back on stage performing at the upcoming 23rd edition of IIFA Weekend and Awards, which will be held from February 9 to and 11, in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.

Bollywood stars Salman Khan, Ranveer Singh and Kriti Sanon are also part of the celebrity line-up to perform at the event.

Abhishek Bachchan, Farhan Akhtar and Maniesh Paul will be hosting the award ceremony, while filmmakers Karan Johar and Farah Khan have been roped in to host IIFA Rocks event.

Johar said IIFA has helped Indian cinema improve its distribution network and forge co-production treaties in the international market.

"The revenue earned by Indian films was a small fraction and the largest contribution comes from the places where IIFA was staged. IIFA has moved on from being an award ceremony to being a flag bearer of Indian cinema," the filmmaker said.