Varun Dhawan turns 28: ‘Student’ to ‘Badlapur’ – his rise in Bollywood

It has been barely three years since Varun Dhawan first waltzed into Bollywood. With hits like 'Student of the Year' and ‘Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania’, this young actor was the perfect ingredient for fun romantic cinema. However, not afraid to experiment, Varun proved his talent with last release, ‘Badlapur’. On his 28th birthday, we take a look at his Bollywood journey.

Student Of The Year: Before making his onscreen debut, Varun Dhawan worked as an assistant director to Karan Johar on Shah Rukh Khan-Kajol starrer, ‘My Name Is Khan’. Two years later, Varun starred in romantic-comedy, ‘Student of the Year’, alongside newcomers Alia Bhatt and Sidharth Roy Kapur. Playing the part of Rohit Nanda, son of a rich businessman, Varun exhibited enthusiasm and charm. ‘Student of the Year’ was a commercial and critical success, making good collections at the box office.

'Main Tera Hero': Varun then joined ladies Nargis Fakhri and Ileana D’Cruz for dad David Dhawan’s ‘Main Tera Hero’. Playing the role of a brat named Sreenath ‘Seenu’ Prasad, Varun was lauded for his performance in the film, especially his comic timing. And fans were saying that he was Govinda 2.0. The film received mixed reviews from critics. However, it had a fantastic opening at the box office and was declared a semi-hit.

'Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania': Varun then delivered his third consecutive hit with ‘Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania’, where he played the role of flirtatious boy with a rustic charm. Paired opposite the beautiful Alia Bhatt, Varun received a lot of praise for his performance. The film did well and was said to have a good box office opening.

Badlapur: Varun Dhawan’s last release, ‘Badlapur’ left fans as well as critics open-mouthed with surprise as he displayed some brilliant acting in the Sriram Raghavan film. Varun Dhawan was intense and owned the screen, portraying a man in search of revenge after the murder of his wife and child. The film did well critically and commercially, collecting close to Rs 77 crore worldwide.

The heartthrob is already gearing up for his next release – ‘ABCD 2’ opposite Shraddha Kapoor. The trailer of the film is out and Varun displays some impressive dance moves. Shot majorly in Las Vegas, the film tells the tale of a dance crew who compete in the biggest hip-hop dance competition ever in the City of Sin.