April 18, 2018
Basking in the glowing reviews of "October", Varun Dhawan
says he wants to continue seeking roles that are unique and "tear" the envelope.
Excerpts from the interview:
Q. Hello, am I speaking to the Supertar
Varun Dhawan?
A. (Laughs) No, this is Dan (the character from "October").
I still haven't come out of my character. This is that kind of an experience
which I can't just leave behind.
Q. Dan is not heroic in the filmy sense.
What made you play such a character at this stage of your career?
A. This
is what I was asked when I did "Badlapur". I hope this question keeps coming up
in my career.
Q. You will continue to seek out roles that push the
envelope?
A. Not just push the envelope, but 'phado' (tear) the envelope.
I am not interested in doing unconventional roles that don't go all the way. I
don't want to take sides as far as doing mainstream and unconventional roles are
concerned.
Why should off-beat roles not be popular? When we made
"October", we knew it won't get the audience of a "Judwaa". It was made within
the required budget. And we were not disappointed with the results.
Q.
The collections have increased manifold.
A. Yes, a day after the release,
the audience began to increase considerably. That was very reassuring. People
have connected with the film. What we see in "October" is what everyone goes
through in life.
Q. Would you be doing more such 'tearing the envelope'
roles?
A. Yes, absolutely. But it has to be a character like the one in
"October" who is completely honest even about his dishonesty. We all lie to
others and to ourselves. But how often is the hero allowed to admit his
weaknesses on screen?
(Screenwriter) Juhi Chaturvedi has written the
character as flawed and yes, quite annoying in the way he pushes his opinion
about everything on others. Dan is quite overbearing. Yet he redeems himself
finally. It proves there is a sensitive human being inside him. I loved my
character's journey.
Q. I didn't like the way the journey ended?
A. I know. A lot of people have told me it shouldn't have ended the way it did.
But this was the only way it could end. If we changed the inevitable, we would
be cheating.
Q. You've had cent-per cent success so far. Even your awful
"Dilwale" is considered a hit. Do you think "October" will not interrupt your
success spell?
A. About "Dilwale", even today you will be surprised at
how many people tell me they love that film. When I decided to do "October", I
put my entire soul into it. After "Badrinath Ki Dulhania" and "Judwaa 2", I
could have done another blockbuster kind of film. But I wanted to do a character
who was not so high on self-confidence.
Dan is a bit of an upstart. He
isn't your average hero at all. When I heard about the role, I insisted that
Shoojit Sircar cast me, although he had a completely different cast in mind. Dan
is just 21-22. Much younger than me.
Q. How old are you?
A. I am
30. So I am actually not as inexperienced in things like illness and grieving as
you might think. I've watched both my parents lose their parents and how it
affected them. And I saw how my mother did the seva (tending) of her parents
when they were ill.
Somewhere, I had stored all those memories and I used
it in "October".
Q. I believe you took a massive remuneration cut in
"October"?
A. I wasn't even thinking about money when I got the chance to
do "October". I just wanted to be part of this film.
Q. What is your
biggest takeaway from this film?
A. It has definitely taught me to be
more considerate towards others. It is not just important to feel for someone.
It is also important to express that feeling. This film has also taught me to be
sensitive about what goes on around me.
People die, people have
accidents, but Life goes on. Nobody cares beyond a point. That's really sad.
Most importantly, now after doing "October", I want to spend more time with my
family.
Q. And yet you've moved out of your family home into your own
place?
A. That's because I needed more space. And my own private space.
Q. Did you buy your home as preparation for marriage?
A. Nothing like
that. Of course it will happen in good time.