Ten years ago, Varun Dhawan made a splash with his debut film Student of the Year. In his decade-long career, the good-looking actor has never hidden his love for commercial cinema but along the way, he has also pleasantly surprised the audience with a Badlapur or an October.
Director David Dhawan’s son has always admitted to loving big screen family entertainers. His latest—JugJugg Jeeyo with Anil Kapoor, Neetu Kapoor, and Kiara Advani—ticks all the boxes with its song-and-dance, emotions, dialogue-baazi, and drama. The actor, who tied the knot last year with childhood sweetheart Natasha Dalal, opens up about life post marriage and understanding relationships better, and looks back on his career choices.
On marriage…
There have been no changes in us post marriage. The only thing is, Natasha has two houses now which she calls hers. It's funny sometimes when I call her when I am abroad and she is at her parents’ place, she says: ‘I am at my house and going to yours’, and I have to remind her it’s ‘our house’. We have that bit of goofiness going on.
Natasha has always been the more mature and responsible one between the two of us. I believe that the most important thing in a marriage is friendship. Before you get married, you should know each other really well and know the things that could create problems later. You should know each-other's secrets. Natasha and I have known each other for almost 22-23 years, so we know each other too well. We’re happy together and it’s a partnership of equals. It’s my responsibility to be a good husband. The great thing is that we are getting to spend so much time together because we live together now.
On fathers…
Any day with your father is priceless. As a kid, I recall being obsessed with GI Joes. My father would bring me one every week. Once I had a fever and he got two to three GI Joes together. He was so worried and I wondered why he was so stressed. Now that I’m older and when he gets a fever, I get so worried. I realise now why one gets so scared when your loved ones are not well.
On family…
It’s during the pandemic that we learnt the true meaning of family. You take some of the most important relationships of your life for granted. Everyday things like having dinner together can seem mundane. It’s after a difficult phase that you realise how important all those moments are. So many of us have seen death in the family or heard about them from friends and acquaintances. The importance of family has increased manifold for me.
On family entertainers…
I have grown up watching movies such as Hum Saath Saath Hain, Hum Aapke Hain Koun…!, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, and Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge among others. I have loved watching these films, so when I became an actor, these were the kind of films that attracted me. The premise should be new. That’s why this film’s subject appealed to me. A young couple who want to get divorced and come home to tell their parents only to find out that the father wants to get divorced—it’s just a great premise to create situational comedy.
On completing a decade in the industry…
I am happy that I got an opportunity to do so much, but after the pandemic, I think it’s a restart. I feel like a newcomer right now. I have to get back into doing things but I don’t want to repeat myself. I had my share of fun but I was also very stressed out. There is so much pressure from society to be successful. When you are stressed, you start running after success and your relationships get affected. You forget to enjoy life and that also affects your acting. The pandemic allowed me the time to introspect on what is important. Doing good work will make me happy. Now, I want to enjoy my work and concentrate on good content.