Docked in Dubai’s Port Rashid is Queen Elizabeth 2, a ship-turned-floating-restaurant that was the venue for the trailer launch of Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor’s next, Bawaal. As the trailer of Nitesh Tiwari’s directorial venture was unveiled, one understood why it required a global venue.

“Our history is what makes us,” noted producer Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, as she narrated the story of her father-in-law, an erstwhile history professor who wanted to take a world tour to see the places he taught his children about for decades. Unfortunately, he never took that trip. Tiwari and Iyer made Bawaal as an homage to his unfulfilled desire.

In the Amazon Prime Video offering, Dhawan plays a small-town history teacher, whose trip to Europe turns out to be a journey of self-discovery.

Being a part of the “internalized film” turned out to be a moving experience for the actor, who said, “As an actor, it’s difficult to be fearless. Image becomes paramount to everyone’s identity. That’s why [doing] a film like this is crucial. It takes you closer to the truth, and makes you re-look at your priorities.”

His sentiment was echoed by the film’s leading lady. “When you do a film like this, it changes you intrinsically,” emphasized Kapoor, who has been choosing unconventional movies over the past three years. “You start believing in yourself a lot more when a man like Nitesh Tiwari—who knows his craft well—shows confidence in you. I learnt so much about the kind of person I want to be, and the films I want to do.”

Even as the movie is set in the present day, it makes references to the Second World War. How does it tie in, in the narrative? Tiwari, the mind behind Dangal (2016) and Chhichhore (2019), didn’t divulge details, only saying, “In the past, I’ve seen my work have some positive impact. Hopefully, this won’t be any different. The film’s setting will be clear once people see the movie, but the story is about how we look at life and relationships. Everything is governed by our values in life, which change as we evolve. Bawaal is about how cataclysmic [events] change us.”

Given the film’s theme, producer Sajid Nadiadwala was certain about releasing it on a wide scale. The OTT offering will be released in 200 countries, in multiple languages.

The event’s highlight, however, was seven-year-old Dubai influencer Kashvi, who strutted up to “Varun bhaiyya” and asked him what made him want to be an actor. Humouring her, Dhawan said, “You are my inspiration. I never want to lose my ability to have childlike excitement and glee like you.”