DNA (September 1, 2017)

In the B-town world of highs and lows, Varun Dhawan has only climbed higher with every release. Beneath Varun’s larger-than-life, mainstream sensibility lurks a pragmatic analyst, who’s on point, more often than he lets on. The actor spoke about his approach toward his career in GQ India’s September 2017. Excerpts:

Sleepless nights
“The commercial pressure of a film on an actor is the biggest. I have sleepless nights because I have a film due for release (Judwaa 2). I wonder if I’ve done enough, if people will think it’s worth paying the increasingly steep ticket prices and buying the expensive popcorn to see my film, or would they prefer watching a Dunkirk?” he ponders.

Working with dad
What’s it like working with his dad? “It’s tough,” he says immediately. “I think it’s similar to Main Tera Hero, only then I was so new that I’d feel bad when he would insult me. But now I’m quite cool with it because I’m pretty hardcore myself.” He grins. “That’s what I’ve got from the film business.  A thick skin.”

Does he listen to his father? “As much as any 30-year-old listens to their parents,” he shrugs. “My father is one of the most commercial directors of the last two or three decades, so his advice is often for me to take the most commercial film. But I think he’s slowly understanding my need to express myself artistically in different types of films. Which is why I did a film like Badlapur. And ultimately, he’s a creative person, so if something moves him, he’ll give it a thumbs up.”

Life after fame
Perhaps it’s his considerable newness in the industry, but compared to many celebrities, Dhawan doesn’t have too many fallacious ideas about himself usually born out of surrounding oneself with “yes” men. “Karan Johar is someone who keeps me very grounded. Every month he gives me a piece of his mind and brings me back to reality.”

“I love being in films, but it’s difficult to know yourself after fame. When I think of who I am as a person, I remember that point just before I became an actor. In the last five years, I only remember myself through the characters I’ve played. I wish I could have lived more, experienced more.”