Varun Dhawan was upset due to Sidharth Malhotra during Student of the Year, dad David Dhawan said, ‘Happens on two-hero films’

David Dhawan recalled that Varun Dhawan received a compliment from none other than Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan after Student of the Year. They called him a 'lambi race ka ghoda'.

By: Entertainment Desk

New Delhi | Updated: July 30, 2024 07:48 PM IST

3 min read

Varun Dhawan and David Dhawan have worked on a few films together. (Photo: Varun Dhawan/Instagram)

Filmmaker David Dhawan admitted that he was deliberately harsh on his son, Varun Dhawan, when they worked together for the first time on a film. Varun had just been launched in the business by Karan Johar, and was accustomed to a certain style of working. He had also assisted Karan on the film My Name is Khan several years before debuting as an actor with Student of the Year.

In a chat with Arbaaz Khan on the show The Invincibles Series, David spoke about Varun quietly going to Karan and asking for work, while David and his wife Lalli Dhawan wondered if he would be suited for a bank job instead. “He came back from abroad after studying, and I asked, ‘What do you want to do in life?’ Lalli said, ‘Everyone is taking up a bank job these days’. We never talked about films. All of a sudden, he went to Karan Johar and said, ‘I want to assist you’. Obviously, Karan knew the family very well, and they went abroad to work on My Name is Khan. The cameraman, Ravi Chandran, was the one who told Karan to keep an eye on him.”

Also read – Varun Dhawan calls Karan Johar ‘Komolika, Shaadiram ghar tode’, says Koffee ‘gets people in trouble’: ‘Producers working with me are scared’

David continued, “Karan came over to our house and said that he wants to launch him, and they did a photoshoot with Sidharth Malhotra.” David recalled that Varun was often insecure while shooting his first film, presumably because of Sidharth. He said, “I was with him, and some days he used to be very upset also. I told him, ‘These things happen in two-hero films. Listen, my son, you’re damn good. Your confidence is something else. Don’t be afraid, take the leap’.”

When the film was released, David recalled, Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan sent a kind message saying that Varun is a ‘lambi race ka ghoda (destined for greatness)’.” After that, several people said that Varun and David should work together. But Varun was used to a different style, and wasn’t prepared to work with his father, who didn’t have a proper script in place for their film, Main Tera Hero. Arbaaz recalled that Varun also supposedly cried on the second day of shoot.

David said, “I didn’t want to give him special treatment just because he’s my son,” and admitted that he was tough on him. “There was one scene, I remember, he was supposed to ride in on a bike, and he fell. And I joked, ‘Kahan se aaya hai yeh Karan Johar ka hero‘. He would become upset and complain to his brother that he was being humiliated in front of everyone.”

David’s last three films have all starred Varun. After Main Tera Hero, which earned poor reviews but was a modest box office hit, they re-collaborated on the films Judwaa 2 and Coolie No. 1, both of which were critically panned.

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