Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; December 7, 2019)

Actors Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt, who have been friends for many years now, are in an interesting phase of their work lives. Both of them are working with their respective fathers. While David Dhawan is directing Varun in the remake of his 1995-hit, Coolie No 1, Mahesh Bhatt is on the verge of wrapping up Sadak 2 with Alia, which is the sequel to Sadak (1991).

When we met Varun and Alia recently, we asked them about working with their fathers. While the actor has previously been directed by his dad in Main Tera Hero (2014), it’s a first for the actress. Talking about the experience, Varun said, “I’m excited about Coolie No 1 because it’s a brand new film for us. The directors of that era, including Alia’s father, Bhatt saab and my dad, are very clear about what they want from their actors. As an artiste, I feel the need to be comfortable with the directors I work with. Like, I’m completely at ease with Remo DSouza, who’s directed me in ABCD 2 (2015) and Street Dancer, and Alia’s very cool with someone like Ayan Mukerji, who’s directing her in Brahmastra. One should be able to speak what’s on one’s mind with the director and vice versa.”

Agreeing with Varun, Alia said, “Honestly, there’s nothing better than working with your dad. When he’s on the set, he expects nothing less than brilliance from you. And it never gets difficult or uncomfortable because we know our fathers well and they understand us. On the other hand, we know that even if they scream at us at work, they don’t quite mean it. And yes, I agree with Varun that being comfortable with your director is very important.”