Showing posts with label Varun Badola interview. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Varun Badola interview. Show all posts
We are not gentle. I give a whack or two sometimes and my child is fine-Rajeshwari Sachdev
8:10 AM
He was dubbed ‘TV’s Aamir Khan’ for his meticulous approach to acting. She won a national award at the age of 22. Television and theatre actors Varun Badola and Rajeshwari Sachdev met on the sets of ‘Antakshari’ in 2004 and married soon after. Parents to a teen son today, the couple also recently played mom-dad on screen in a web series. They spoke to Neha Bhayana about old-school versus new-age parenting and their disciplining style
Neha Bhayana (THE TIMES OF INDIA; January 25, 2026)
Your son Devagya is almost 16 now. Is it getting easier or tougher to parent as he grows up?
Varun: The level of difficulty changes every few months. When we were kids, we were busy giving grief to our parents. So, by the time I realized that my father was right, I had a son who thought that his father was wrong (laughs). But, in all seriousness, you learn as the years pass by. The child starts from where he cannot even communicate what he’s feeling, and reaches a point where he is probably communicating to others and hiding from parents. So, the scenarios keep changing, and not for once can you just let things pass. It doesn’t get easier.
As you mentioned, communication does become a challenge when the child enters the teenage years. Do you have any tricks to get Devagya to listen to you?
Rajeshwari: Make friends with his friends, so you get information from the other side (laughs). Honestly, there is nothing one can do. How much do you let go? How much do you hold on to? Times have changed. Not that we didn’t give our parents a hard time. They must have had their own challenges. But I feel that earlier, children were allowed to make more mistakes. Times were more forgiving. Now, everything you do is under a scanner. You can tell your children that mistakes are what you learn from, but you can’t make some mistakes these days because they might never leave you. Today, when a child tries something, somebody has photographed him, the internet has caught that moment, and it has gone viral. And then it stays with the child forever. So, while I completely understand what teens are going through, I tell my son, please don’t try doing this anywhere because people are not so kind anymore. People don’t have that much patience with allowing kids to grow up.
You can just hope that your child will come and tell you everything that’s happening in his life, which they obviously don’t. They go through their peer pressures and stress of trying to fit in. As parents, we are trying to handle this in the best possible way, like trying to be open about things so that he can come and talk to us.
The way couples are parenting today is very different from the pre-2000s style. What, according to you, are today’s parents doing right and where are they going wrong?
Varun: The situation has changed so much that we can’t say what is right and what is wrong. If there was Instagram and YouTube in our time too, then we could have compared. At that time, the problem was that kids were out playing till 11 pm. Now, kids spend all their time inside and with screens. One big difference is that these days, kids ki kutaai nahi hoti jaise humari hoti thi (kids don’t get beaten up the way we used to).
That’s true. So, what’s your take on this new trend of gentle parenting?
Rajeshwari: Nahi hum gentle wentle nahi hai. Ek aadh to mera haath chal hi jaata hai and baccha theek hi hai mera (We are not gentle. I give a whack or two sometimes and my child is fine). People can hate me for this, but I am not gentle. The fact is you can’t always spare (the rod). Sometimes, kids do such things that make us want to give one tight one.
Varun: Do you know how dogs discipline their kids? They bite their child’s ear. Wolves too. Even animals have their boundaries and ways of keeping their kids in check. Pehle toh maarte hue agar maa ki chudi toot jaati to aur zyada pitai hoti thi ki dekh teri wajah se chudi toot gayi. Ek samay aise aaya ki pitaai isliye hoti thi ki tujhe maara aur tujhe fark hi nahi padta. (If mom’s bangle would break while whacking us, she would hit us more. There was a time when she would beat us because the beatings made no difference to us).
Rajeshwari: We are going to be trolled after this interview! Yes, yes, we know you are not supposed to raise your hand on your children.
Varun: My mother now simply declares that she was a bad mother.
Rajeshwari: (laughs) Oh yeah. My mother-in-law is so different as a grandmom. She has given good whacks to her son, but if I happen to even raise my voice while talking to my son, she does not like it. I am not allowed to scold him. My father is the same. Unka free hand chalta tha hum logo pe (he used to freely whack us), but if he sees us reprimand our son, he will go like “Arre, he is growing, it is ok. He is exploring.”
Varun: We were also exploring but we didn’t get excused.
Do you think ‘hormonal changes’ has become an easy excuse for bad behaviour and attitude of teens? We went through puberty too but didn’t act out so much.
Rajeshwari: No, I don’t think it’s an excuse. Even we had our hormonal changes, but there was a certain speed at which we were growing up and consuming information. Depending on the pace at which you watch what you’re watching, your brain also goes on an overdrive. I’m sure everything around your hormones is also going on an overdrive. So, there must be some truth to it. I’m sure even in our times, our parents did understand that there are hormonal issues. Maybe we took that one step ahead. These kids may be taking four steps ahead. I feel the more we allow our children to be sensitive to things and people around them, things will somehow stay in line. Fortunately, so far, our son is occupied by a lot of things and there’s not much time for tantrums. Let’s see how it goes.
In your latest web series ‘Co-Ed’, the two of you are playing parents of teenage kids. How close is it to your real-life situation?
Varun: It is very close. When you see the show, you realize that there are so many issues that kids face. They are handling relationships, friendships and trying to fit in. They are trying to understand how to grow up. One can relate to it.
Your son is in grade 10. These days, there is a lot of pressure to get perfect scores in boards. How are you helping him cope? Do marks matter to you?
Rajeshwari: The pressure is there no doubt. In our time, no one scored 99%. If someone got first class, halwa was made at home. We considered 65% wow and if someone got distinction, it was like an engineer is born. So, this trend of perfect scores is a bit difficult to handle. But our son is very happy with whatever marks he gets. We don’t stress about grades too much, but the fact is that if you have to cross the sea, then you have to make efforts towards that. One cannot be sitting idle and saying, “Oh, it doesn’t matter at all.” It will matter because the world is moving a certain way. But is that the only way to do it? Is there a way to work around it, so that there is less stress? Maybe the child is good at other things? Yes, we do look at that. If he ever says, “There is an exam tomorrow, so I won’t play today,” I tell him he has to go down and get some fresh air and work his lungs a bit. One has to balance.
Does your son watch your films and serials? Is he a fan or a critic?
Varun: He does discuss our performances and talks to us in his new lingo: “You’re good, dad. I liked it.” But he is neither a fan nor a critic, I would say. He’s still trying to understand how it works. I can tell you that from my own experience. There was this one particular character that my father (journalist and actor Vishwa Mohan Badola) played on stage, where there was a lot of singing involved. My father was a very good singer, but I never gave it a thought. But when he was older, someone else played that character. He was an equally good singer, but the difference that I saw in the performance was huge. That day, I realized that it is not just about the singing, it is about how you approach the character. We tend to take our parents for granted. It was probably late in my teens that I realized that what my father brings to the table is very different.
Out of all the shows that I’ve written (as a dialogue writer), Devagya has seen only one and that’s because Raj (Rajeshwari) was in it. He is 16 now, so we have allowed him to watch some adult content, but not everything. I figured he must have learned more profanities in school than what the shows have anyway.
Having a child can either bring a couple closer or drive them apart if they have very different approaches to parenting. What has your experience been like?
Rajeshwari: One basic rule in the house (if my son reads this, he will say, “Okay, now I understand”) is that we communicate and arrive at decisions together. It is never just ‘my decision’ or ‘his decision’. We have mutual respect. If at all, we have different opinions we come to a point where we say, let’s do this and see.
The rise of instant delivery apps has fuelled a habit of instant gratification among kids, making life harder for parents. How do you deal with your child’s demands?
Rajeshwari: Honestly, we can’t change things much. We used to get money for ice-cream only on the last day of exams. We can’t do this. There are ads every second tempting our kids. Everything is so accessible. But if my son asks for something big, he has to wait for it. There has to be an occasion or a reason. Of course, sometimes we have to agree, but sometimes I tell him that I don’t want to spend money on this at this point of time. Then, he has to wait six months or so to get it. I have realized the importance of making your child wait or they will never have patience for other things in life. You never know whether they will get everything that they desire instantly, so they should learn to be patient.
My father had this interesting practice. If we were out and we asked him to buy us something, he would say, “You like it...wonderful. But let’s go home and after two days if you still want it, then we will go to buy it. But if the desire dies down and you are not thinking about it, we will not buy it.” I learnt the lesson and it stands true for me even today. Sometimes, one wants to just hit the like button and buy something, but if you wait for a couple of days, you realize you don’t really need it. I try to do the same with my son. Whether I succeed or not, only time will tell.
If you are portraying someone from the lower middle class, it cannot be glamorous-Varun Badola
9:12 AM
The actor talks about why it has taken him five years to return to television post Mere Dad Ki Dulhan
Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; July 22, 2025)
It is not uncommon for seasoned actors to find themselves in a lull between meaningful roles. This is something Varun Badola did not quite anticipate after his stint with Mere Dad Ki Dulhan (MDKD). Returning to television after almost five years with Itti Si Khushi, the actor reflects on the surprising silence that followed.
He admits, “Honestly, there hasn’t been a big role offer in the last five years. Every new show is a gamble. Everyone tries to make a good show, but sometimes you have to be lucky to get an MDKD. I really thought I would be flooded with offers afterward or at least get something meaningful. But no, it didn’t happen that way. And so, here we are, five years later.”
Varun’s reluctance to settle for anything less than substantial was key to his decision to take up Itti Si Khushi. He shares, “From an actor’s point of view, the biggest draw is the level of difficulty in the character. It is not straightforward. That’s what I always look for.”
Is it age, experience, or increased selectivity that makes roles harder to come by? He replies, “It is a combination of all the above, or maybe even more. MDKD was a risk. People usually avoid going salt and pepper on television. And to top that, they asked me to look as shabby as possible. I said, ‘Perfect, that’s how I want to do it’. This new character also requires me to go salt and pepper and look unkempt. I guess the start is fine (smiles).”
On the industry’s obsession with gloss, Varun has a clear perspective. He says, “There is a belief that everything we make should look glossy. But if you are portraying someone from the lower middle class, it cannot be glamorous. If you are playing one of those characters, you had better look the part.”
Though often seen in grounded, realistic roles, he does not feel boxed in. He says, “I don’t think I am getting stereotyped. The characters are different from each other. What binds them is honesty. Being real has always helped the character connect with the audience. Because these shows are not like stories where a family business is worth Rs. 500 crores and yet everyone is sitting at home. Not that I have anything against such shows. Some of them do work.”
And will he be comfortable being part of one of those glossy, grand shows? He replies, “No one has ever asked me about it. Let us leave it at that. Whether I would say yes or not is a different story, but no one has asked.”
When I was writing for TV, the idea was not to have the same conversation-Varun Badola
9:49 PM
Actor Varun Badola who turned dialogue writer for the recent web show, Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein, speaks of disassociation, willing suspension of disbelief and enjoying his simultaneous careers equally
Sucheta Chakraborty (MID-DAY; January 23, 2022)
“The way Goldie [director, writer and producer Sidharth Sengupta] and I work is that he sends me an open file with the screenplay; I just push the space bar, create space for myself and start writing dialogues,” says actor Varun Badola, known for his work in television serials like Astitva...Ek Prem Kahani, Koshish - Ek Asha and Des Mein Nikla Hoga Chand. Badola admits that he writes primarily for friends like Sengupta and hints at the organic nature of this working partnership. Besides being a well-known face in the Indian television circuit, Badola is also an accomplished dialogue writer, having worked for prominent web shows including ALT Balaji’s Apharan and Undekhi on Sony Liv.
Assisting Tigmanshu Dhulia in Haasil and Charas when he was only 22, and functioning as his additional dialogue writer helped him learn the ropes, shares Badola, now 48. It was an experience he put to good use when he was roped in to write episodes and scenes for Astitva, Koshish and Ek Chabi Hai Pados Mein later. It was his work on the latter which Sengupta came in to direct, that he believes got him the Apaharan job in 2017, a show which Badola believes holds some of his best work.
The two writing processes, however, have been starkly different. In television, Badola explains, one could be writing the same situation five times over. “When I was writing for TV, the idea was not to have the same conversation, the same words, but to think of something new which was difficult, because one needs to have more ideas.”
The writing for web shows on the other hand, needs to be taut and precise, he says. So, does he prefer one format over the other? “I have never written for personal satisfaction or achievement,” he responds. “It’s something to do with the way we’ve been brought up. The idea is to get the job done. Writing a good scene is just about that sometimes.”
Among writers he has admired over the years, the Salim-Javed pair still stands out, as the actor-writer recalls a scene from Don where the character’s release from jail is accomplished in less than 20 seconds. “Because they have already established that Don is so [influential], there is no need for explanations about security lapses, for instance,” he points out. “Bas story aage bhagao”. “If anyone has used willing suspension of disbelief to its fullest, it has to be them.”
At the same time, in spite of Hindi cinema’s dependence on such stellar writers, Badola is quick to point out how this creative sect in our country still does not get the credit or respect it deserves. Badola himself however refrains from writing screenplays and stories as those would take up too much time and prevent him from dedicating his energy to acting. “I don’t want to give up on acting as I love the craft. The idea [ultimately] is to have fun [with both].”
The years have taught him to make the conversations he writes, more precise although he hasn’t consciously thought of growth in spite of having practised the craft for so many years. “The charm of writing a dialogue and of doing something new would be completely lost then,” he notes. At the same time, there is no strategising involved. “When I write a scene, I still write everything that comes to my mind and then we decide what stays and what goes,” he says.
For a creative individual whose simultaneous careers have frequently collided—he has spoken lines he had himself written in shows like Astitva—Badola hasn’t found one art to outweigh the other. “I am in love with the whole process,” he declares. There is also a need to disassociate oneself from one’s writing, he points out, because as an actor he may have visualised a scene differently from how another actor chooses to play it. “If everybody is acting to your whims and fancies, then perhaps all the actors will start looking the same,” he observes. “[The point is to] never get too emotional about your creation.”
Ranveer Singh can’t get Kapil Dev’s bowling as perfectly as I can-Varun Badola
8:11 AM
Saptaparna Biswas (BOMBAY TIMES; January 19, 2020)
Back in 2016, Varun Badola made a small appearance as Kapil Dev in the Emraan Hashmi-starrer Azhar. A self-confessed cricket fan, Varun says he is now looking forward to ‘83, which will feature Ranveer Singh as the cricketer.Though Varun maintains that he may not have been convincing in his look, he is sure that no other actor can nail Kapil Dev’s famous bowling action like he does. “I have had the same bowling action since childhood. In fact, in a friendly match in Mumbai, S Sreesanth pointed it out and said that my action is exactly like that of Kapil paaji,” says the Mere Dad Ki Dulhan actor, adding, “For Azhar, the makers called me a couple of days prior to the shoot so I didn’t have any time to prepare. But, no matter how good or bad I looked on screen, I knew one thing for sure that even at four in the morning if anyone told me to bowl like Kapil Dev, I would get his bowling action right.”
Ask him about Ranveer’s look in Kabir Khan’s ‘83 and Varun smiles, “He’s done a fabulous job with the look! I’m yet to see how he gets the mannerisms on screen, but one thing I can bet for sure — he can’t get Kapil paaji’s bowling action as perfectly as I can!”
Varun also shares that he is in touch with most members of the 1983 World Cup winning team. “I am personally in touch with most of the team. Jimmy paaji (Mohinder Amarnath), Ballu paaji (Balwinder Singh Sandhu) and Sandeep paaji (Sandeep Patil) are good friends and I have even played with Kapil paaji.”
The actor, a huge Kapil Dev fan, says that there can never be another cricketer like Kapil Dev. “For the longest time, everyone has tried to get into Kapil paaji’s shoes, but no one knows what size shoes he wears! Kapil paaji can win any game he plays. A sports club in Delhi had put up a billiards table. Kapil paaji ne waha 100 ke break maarne shuru kar diye. Toh baaki logon ne khelna band kar diya soch ke ki ye aadmi table pakdega toh chodega nahi. I played a tennis ball cricket tournament with him in Goa. He was 54 then and even at that age he ran and caught a flat catch! Kandha toh gaya, but what was commendable was that he was so agile at that age. He was born to be an athlete,” says Varun.
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