Varun Tej desperately needs a hit film. Except for Gaddalakonda Ganesh, in the last 5 years, his releases like Ghani, Gandeevadhari Arjuna, Operation Valentine, and Matka ended up as huge box office disasters.
Now, all hopes are pinned on Korean Kanakaraju, which is set to release on September 7.
The teaser received a decent response, and the recently released folk-style song Rasaagummadi has also caught the audience’s attention. While the colorful visuals and mass beat have been appreciated, one aspect has become the biggest talking point on social media.
Varun Tej’s towering 6’3″ frame has made his pairing with Daksha Nagarkar look unusually mismatched. The actress appears significantly shorter beside him, leading to a flood of memes and jokes online.
One viral post humorously compared the pair to “Laestrygonians – Odysseus,” referencing the giant race from Greek mythology.
The topic even found its way into the film’s promotional interviews. During an interaction with M9 journalist Dheeraj, director Merlapaka Gandhi was asked whether casting comparatively shorter heroines like Ritika Nayak and Daksha Nagarkar opposite such a tall hero created a visual challenge.
The director admitted that the height difference is noticeable when talking about it, but insisted it never looked like a problem on screen during filming. He amusingly explained that cinema has long relied on techniques such as camera angles, framing, and apple boxes to minimize height differences between actors, making the issue quite manageable.
More importantly, Merlapaka Gandhi said the casting decision was never based on height. According to him, the lead actress was chosen because she perfectly suited the character. He revealed that the role demanded someone who could speak Korean and was familiar with Korean culture, making Ritika the right choice despite the obvious height difference.
Whether that explanation satisfies audiences remains to be seen. For now, social media has already turned the pairing into meme material, and has given free publicity to Korean Kanakaraju. Varun Tej, however, will be hoping that once the film releases, the conversation shifts from memes about height to the film itself.
