Varun Grover, a versatile talent in the Indian entertainment industry, is widely recognized for his contributions as a screenwriter and lyricist on acclaimed projects such as 'All India Rank', 'Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar', and 'Masaan'. Beyond his film work, Grover is also a prominent stand-up comedian and has a history of working on television shows, including a stint as a scriptwriter for 'Oye! It's Friday!' hosted by Farhan Akhtar.

It was during his time on 'Oye! It's Friday!' that Grover experienced a stark realization about the financial disparities within the industry. In an interview with The Lallantop, he recounted this period, stating, "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 elaborated on the pay gap, saying, "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 further reflected on the situation, noting the irony of his compensation despite the show's grand scale. "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," Grover explained. He described the set at Yash Raj Studio as impressively expensive, remarking, "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." This experience, coupled with emerging censorship, led to a decline in his interest in writing stand-up comedy for television.

In the same interview, Varun Grover also addressed his concise 'NO' comment on Anurag Kashyap's social media post praising filmmaker Sandeep Reddy Vanga following the release of 'Animal'. Grover clarified his position, emphasizing a distinction he makes between defending a creative work and defending an artist's personal behavior or statements.

"See, if anyone defends a film or a work of art, no matter how divisive or politically incorrect it is, I’ll definitely understand their viewpoint, no matter how I myself don’t agree with the film. So, to defend a work of art is one thing. But to defend an artist is another thing," Grover stated. He further added, "I have always believed that I’m never against or in support of a person. I’m always either in favour of an idea or against it. I thought in that post, Mr. Kashyap was not defending the film, but the filmmaker and defending his behaviour. There was nothing in the post about the film, but all about the filmmaker.”