I DO END UP DISSAPPOINTING A LOT OF PEOPLE’
Six years, nine films, not a single flop. Life must be good for actor Varun Dhawan? It’s not all rosy, he says
Promoting Shoojit Sircar’s October; shooting for Sharat Katariya’s Sui Dhaaga; and prepping for his next film with Remo D’Souza... actor Varun Dhawan has his hands full and is enjoying it. Just six years old in Bollywood and with a huge appetite for work, Varun takes a break from his shoot in Delhi for a candid chat. So, you’re back in Delhi. How’s it going ? It’s great! Last time, when I was shooting here for October, it was very cold and smog had kicked in. I had never seen something like that. But Delhi is like a character in [October] and Shoojitda always has different types of Delhi in his movies. You said that more than anyone else, you needed a film like October. Why’s that? As an actor, when you progress… there are goals and benchmarks for you, sometimes set by others. I was looking for something very real in my career; and when I heard this story, it came from such a different space. What moved you so much? I kind of started thinking why I became an actor in the first place. It was not for money or fame or admiration; it was to tell stories. The emotions that you bring into a character sometimes change your mindset. October has that power. Six years, nine films, and not one single flop, does this ever give you a sense of entitlement? Not at all! It’s very difficult to keep all this going. There’s no time for family or loved ones and that’s worse than anything in the world. I just feel that now, I’m not there [for them] anymore. I’m there for the public in a way, and I’m working for them. So, being successful is a double-edged sword. No matter how hard I try, I do end up disappointing a lot of people and I know I have to live with that. Still, you seem to be on a constant high… Really? Is this what it looks like: that everything is rosy? Even I’ve had my shares of lows. Very recently, my personal life was in a big dilemma. I learned a lesson that life is too short. Your next is with Katrina Kaif. Is that the third ABCD movie? This is the third time, after Remo made two dance films, that he’s making this, and the entire ABCD gang will be in the film as well. We’ll announce the title by the end of the year. Sui Dhaaga looks very different from your body of work so far. Your thoughts? It’s a pan-India film with lots of humour and music. But it’s physically very challenging, as a lot of practice went into preparing for our roles. But, I found a good partner in Anushka [Sharma] and we’ve relied on each other. Student of the Year, your debut film, is set to have a sequel, and Tiger Shroff is in the lead. Are you happy? I think for almost five years in my career, I was only in college and people literally thought, ‘Arrey yaar, yeh to student hi hai (Oh man, he’s always a student).’ Finally, now that Tiger is doing the role, people will think that I’ve graduated! But yeah, SOTY is always going to be known by [the names of] Karan Johar and the three actors he launched. As a franchise, I’m glad it’s moving forward.