Anirban Das (MID-DAY; November 24, 2015)

Varun Dhawan has had a successful 2015 — Badlapur got the critics’ nod while ABCD 2 broke into the Rs 100-crore league. And with his upcoming film, Dilwale, he hopes to make it three triumphs on the trot. Sporting a white shirt and a pair of capris, the young actor met hitlist at co-star Shah Rukh Khan’s Khar office for a freewheeling chat. Excerpts:

You are just three years old in this industry, but have quite experimental with the choice of films. This year, especially, has been good for you. How do you look at your journey so far?
When I started off, it wasn’t all good. I did not receive appreciation from critics for my debut film, Student Of The Year (2012). My second film released only a year later and that was not ideal for a newcomer. The perception about me as a good actor developed after people saw Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhaniya and Badlapur. I was unsure if those films would work or not. It took me a while to create a good impression. But I continued doing new and different things with each film. That helped. I will try and continue to offer something new to the audience every time.

So, are you confident about your acting skills now?
Doing a film with actors like Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol and freely delivering dialogues alongside them takes a lot of confidence. I think, over the years, my confidence has grown a lot. I have started understanding my roles and behaving according to the demand of characters.

You will be sharing screen space with SRK and Kajol in Dilwale. While signing a film, what do you give more importance to — star cast or script?
Surprisingly, I was the first one to have been signed for the film. I knew Shah Rukh sir would be a part of it, but he had not heard the script then. When I heard it, I told Rohit that whoever be the hero, the film will be a hit because everyone will connect with the story. Besides, among actors of my generation, I don’t think anyone will get the chance to work with Shah Rukh sir and Kajol. I am really lucky.

People might judge SRK for the success or failure of the film, but don’t you agree you can be a bit relaxed about this outing?
I am little relaxed, for I know the responsibility is not completely on me. It’s not that I have to shine in the film. But there is a certain responsibility that it should be a good film.

Does acting come naturally to you, or do you have to struggle to give a shot?
A lot of hard work goes behind it. The process of getting into the skin of a character has been different for different films. In ABCD 2, I concentrated more on dance; I used to rehearse hard before going on set. I invested a year to prep-up for Badlapur. In Main Tera Hero, I had to be spontaneous because that’s what the makers wanted. The amount of time I spent on the set of this film is more than any other film I have shot for.

When people say they don’t care about competition in this cut-throat industry, it is a bit difficult to digest that. Do you keep a tab on the work of your contemporaries?
I can’t ignore competition, but I get inspired by the good work of people. So, it is good to have competition. When someone takes action to another level, or if someone dances or acts really well, I think about it and feel like I should also be able to pull off all those things like them. I get into that zone of bettering myself. My contemporaries actually give me a boost.

Do you regret missing out on any project in your three-year career?
There have been no big film that was I offered and I didn’t take up. In fact, some of the films that I have rejected have not released yet. So, I think I have made good decisions so far.

You are often spotted with fashion designer Natasha Dalal. When will you confirm your relationship status?
I don’t know why going out with Natasha has become the news of the day. I go out on so many dinners with other people too, but the media has not caught me yet. I am good at it ( giving them a slip). My real life is very interesting. However, the reason why I hide private matters is because people tend to talk more about that than your work. But, I like going out for dinners ( smiles).