Varun Dhawan on his upcoming ‘emotional’ release, how it broke him and the relationships with those close to him
Tushar Joshi (DNA; February 2, 2015)


Isn’t doing Badlapur a big risk at this point in your career?
I think it is, but I don’t care, because at the end of the day I am doing this film because there are people who want to watch this kind of cinema. There are two sides of a coin, life is happy but it is sad as well. So, if the three films that I did showed the happy side of life in a surreal, fantastic way, then I should also be doing a film that shows the other side of life — which is extremely sad and dark also. If people live, they also die, if they laugh, they also cry, so it’s important that our films reflect that, too. Why hide it? I signed Badlapur after Student Of The Year, but I shot it last year. It is an amazing script, it’s based on true events and it’s a thriller which is true to its genre. Also, I did those three happy films and after that, I could not smile anymore. Like if one more person told me to smile I would have literally punched him! I had reached a saturation point in happiness, I couldn’t fake that happiness anymore, what I wanted to do was cry and be angry, show those emotions. A lot of actors told me, ‘Are you mad? Why have you signed this film? I was like, ‘Because I want to tell this story’.”

Was it a challenge to break the image of the boy-next-door and then, play a 40-year-old man in the film?
I am 27. My friends told me to do this film. They pushed me to do something radical and different. On TV, you watch stuff like Dexter, The Walking Dead, so you are anyway seeing so much violence and bloodshed so what are we shying away from it on the big screen? I signed Badlapur even before I had success because I am a huge fan of the genre. I love thrillers. A few good films have made that cater to this audience. I think Kahaani was the last good film in this category. Also, Badlapur had a lot of scope for me to emote and show my acting chops. If I wanted to do a normal revenge film playing my age, I could have done anything else.

What sets you apart from other actors?
I’ve been directed by Sriram Raghavan. Nobody else has that, right now.

Do you have a plan for the next few years or are you picking stuff randomly?
See, we are evolving, we are changing by the minute. Often, we do stuff that was working three years back, but in 2015 what do people want to watch, what’s the music they want to hear, everything is constantly changing and evolving, you have to think ahead, so in 2015, I will pick stuff that will work in 2016. My whole idea is to do something new and not pakao people.

What percentage of your career choices are your own and how much are they your dad’s or your brother’s?
All my choices are my own! Obviously, I discuss my films with my brother and Karan (Johar). Badlapur is definitely 5000 per cent my own choice. Everyone around me said not do it. I would like to add that I have seen the film and it isn’t boring, it’s quite entertaining.

Including your dad?
Yes even he said that. Everyone said don’t do this film. But I heard the story and I was like, ‘I have to do this!’

What did you learn about yourself after making this film ?
I learnt that I can take a lot more than I thought. Every person has a breaking point. In Badlapur, I got pushed to such an extent that I reached my breaking point and we still carried on. I had an emotional and physical breakdown while making this film. I remember there is this scene with Nawaz where I was so mindf****d! We were shooting at some 3 am, and I had to say some lines to him. I remember I was so spaced out that I repeated those dialogues to him 16 times in the take. I kept saying the same thing, and I thought I said it only once. Sriram took me on the side, he tried to tell me some joke and get me to snap me out of it. Because the mood had become very weird. In fact, I have the whole thing on a CD that I have kept with myself. It wasn’t acting anymore, something inside me had just twisted, it wasn’t Raghu, my character, but Varun who was reacting in that manner.

Spooky! Did you have to unlearn anything to play this character?
I am very hyper and always bouncing off the walls. Here, I had to let go of my energy and just be still. I had to emote through my eyes which I haven’t done before and that was so important in this film. Also, we shot in real locations, I shot in a real jail, in a real morgue, I saw dead bodies lying around me, how freaky is that! The visual of dead bodies around you and that smell stays on your skin. During the making of the film, I remember being so angry all the time and taking it out on some people.

Are you a vengeful person in real life?
Not to the extent that I am shown in the film. I would be in jail! But Badlapur broke a part of me and it broke certain relationships in my life also because probably those people didn’t understand me and moved away. It’s always going to be the most emotional film that I have done. Badlapur is a sexy film, not in the sexual way, but in terms of technique, styling, look, feel.

Have you shown the film to anyone ?
Some people have seen it. I wanted to show it to them and ask them, ‘main pagal toh nahi hoon’. I have two childhood friends, to whom I show my work, and who are extremely honest about my work. So parts that they didn’t like, we reshot them.

Do you think violence and sex are still looked down upon in our society ?
I think people have double standards about violence and sex overall. It’s so much a part of our daily life, yet we are critical about it. Like if you look at a traditional summer blockbuster it has more violence than any of the other smaller films. Or there is more skin show in it. Like I have exposed more in Student Of The Year than anyone has in Badlapur. The difference is that in this film the action is going to actually look real, because a lot of physical fights are real. Vinay Pathak has actually fractured his arm, I have been choked for 40 seconds and turned blue, I have hit Nawaz in a scene and there was actual contact. I have a very violent scene with Huma (Qureshi) where she cried after we cut it. I think people are ready for such real action.

Is there something that you constantly tell yourself?
I talk a lot to myself. In fact, if someone sees me alone they might want to check me into a clinic. I am very reactive to music, I do that a lot.

Who do you think is your biggest competition among Sidharth, Ranveer, Sushant, Arjun ?
See if you ask me this same question on the day my film is releasing with them, then competition comes in. But I have a solo release, so am not competing with anyone in that sense. I watch films to get inspired and enjoy them. I recently saw Birdman and loved it. Even PK and Haider. But you have to be your own individual at the end of the day.

Does it irritate you when people still pitch you against Sidharth?
If people want to continue pitching me against Sidharth, they can. It doesn’t irritate me at all. I try to move away from all this. I go away into a place where I can concentrate on what I want to do. At the same time, I wish well for everyone because it’s important that good films are made and other people’s films also do well. In fact, what is worrying is that since November only one film has done well — PK! It is a worrisome thought. I want all films to do well. Also, I don’t think you can do good work if you are bitter towards others.

You are rumoured to be a part of so many upcoming films...
Half Girlfriend —not been approached.
Ram Lakhan remake —not approached.
The remake of Fault In Our Stars — I just don’t have the time right now to do this, maybe next year.

So what are the films that you are working on ?
There’s ABCD2, then my brother’s films, then Shashank Khaitan’s film for Dharma.

You are also playing Shah Rukh’s brother in Rohit Shetty’s film?
I can’t comment on that. It’s too early to say anything.

Would you get roasted like Ranveer and Arjun did?
Why not? My friends anyway do this to me all the time. But I would like to choose the people who will come and roast me. I would like to have my brother (Rohit), Karan obviously, Nargis Fakhri, Arnab Goswami and Rajat Sharma.

You recently said that you won’t marry an actress...
I am not standing by what I said recently — that I won’t marry an actress. I think I made a stupid statement. I admit now I should not have said that.

So you ignored Alia Bhatt at a recent award show and chose to hug Sidharth instead?
I was on the stage, I noticed Sidharth because clearly he’s taller and I could spot him easily. But let me tell you very honestly that when I was doing Badlapur, I didn’t speak to anyone. I was shooting it till December-end and during that time I cut off from everyone including my parents.

Did this period change your friendship with Alia ?
That phase changed my friendship and equation with everyone, not just Alia. That is the price I had to pay to do this film. I actually have lost touch with lot of my school friends. I missed a close friend’s wedding and he really got upset. There have been many casualties in terms of my personal relationships with a lot of people. Now, obviously, people who are from the industry will speak more about it, but my actual closest friends are not from the industry. So, I will mend those relationships first and then think about the others. I don’t think anyone is upset with me and even if they are they should go watch Badlapur!