Varun Dhawan Is Now the Face of Licious, and the Sizzl Launch Was Peak Brand Chaos

Okay, I need to talk about this launch, because whoever planned it clearly had fun.

Varun Dhawan is the new face of Licious. The D2C meat and seafood brand announced him at the Mumbai launch of Sizzl, its freshly rebranded heat-and-eat range. And the launch? A giant microwave turned into a rave zone, lights synced to heating times. A momo-eating challenge. A protein zone styled like an urban akhada with battle ropes. A kebab zone dressed up like a desi dhaba.

More than 300 celebrities and creators showed up, including Uorfi Javed (in an outfit made of kitchen utensils, obviously) and Ibrahim Ali Khan.

So what is Sizzl?

It's Licious putting all its "almost-ready" food under one name:

• 80+ products: snacks, starters, sides, spreads, momos, kebabs

• Ready in 2 to 8 minutes, says the brand

• No palm oil, no artificial preservatives, no soya fillers, also per the brand

"What excites me about Licious is the scale of its ambition and the conviction behind it." That's Varun.

Co-founders Abhay Hanjura and Vivek Gupta joined him on stage to unveil the new identity.

Why Varun actually makes sense

Here's my honest read. Licious isn't just selling meat anymore. It's selling time. The pitch is: you want to eat more protein, you don't have time to cook, here's a kebab in six minutes.

And who's the most "gym in the morning, shoot all day, still wants a proper meal" star we have? Varun. His whole public persona is high-energy, fitness-forward, a little goofy, very family-friendly. That's exactly the household Licious wants to get into.

Also, let's not pretend celebrity signings don't matter in Indian D2C. A face like Varun gives a delivery app something it can't buy with discounts: recall. You see a Licious ad and you remember who was in it.

The numbers Licious is pushing

By its own count, Licious says it has around 5 million consumers, 450+ SKUs and 60+ retail stores. Those are company figures, so treat them as the brand's pitch rather than an audit.

My take

Signing Varun is safe. What's fun is that the launch wasn't. A microwave rave is ridiculous, and that's the point. Brands that build a world around a product, instead of just a billboard, are the ones people actually talk about. We've written about why brands are building lore now, and this is a very literal example.

Now I just want to see the ad. Please let there be a momo dance.

Frequently asked questions

Is Varun Dhawan the brand ambassador of Licious?

Yes. Licious announced Varun Dhawan as its new face at the Mumbai launch of Sizzl, its heat-and-eat range, at the end of October 2026.

What is Licious Sizzl?

Sizzl is Licious's rebranded range of heat-and-eat snacks and meals, covering more than 80 products that the brand says are ready in two to eight minutes.

Who founded Licious?

Licious was co-founded by Abhay Hanjura and Vivek Gupta.

What did Varun Dhawan say about Licious?

"What excites me about Licious is the scale of its ambition and the conviction behind it."

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Vishal Waghela is the Co-Founder of AltBollywood and a proud neo-generalist who refuses to pick a lane. Film, music, memes, fashion, AI, internet subcultures: if pop culture touches it, he's already three rabbit holes deep. He writes the way he lives online, loud, emotional, a little chaotic and always honest about why culture makes us feel things. Come argue with him on Instagram at @vishal.waghe1a.