'The Kissing Scenes in Badlapur Are Organic': Varun Dhawan

BY LEKHA MENON Wednesday, 14 January 2015

There are other more shocking things in the film, says Varun Dhawan, about his latest thriller in this chat with Masala.com

• 
• 

Varun Dhawan in Badlapur

That Varun Dhawan is hugely popular with the ladies is no surprise. The young actor’s six-packs, cute looks and incredible charm on the screen have won him a huge female fan following. However, this time he is out to prove a different point.Badlapur, a revenge saga directed by thriller specialist Sriram Raghavan, has garnered quite a few eyeballs with its trailer that shows Varun in a different avatar altogether. Playing a man possessed by revenge, the film is base d on a true story and has an impressive ensemble cast of Huma Qureshi, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Yami Gautam and Divya Dutta. Varun can talk at length about how he prepared for the role, how the intense scenes affected his state of mind and his excitement about doing something truly different. Of course, the media has so far focused on the steamy scenes he shares with Yami Gautam and Divya Dutta but the actor isn’t perturbed. Excerpts from an interview… 

You are hugely excited about this project. What are your feelings now that it’s up for release?There is a lot of nervousness along with excitement because it’s not your run-of-the-mill thriller. But I have confidence that we have listened to the voice of the audience. The thriller/drama genre hasn’t been explored enough, I think Kahaani was the last good thriller I watched. I play three different age-groups, in my 20s, 30s and 40s, so it’s very exciting.

Your look has been appreciated quite a bit. Even girls have found your bearded and intense look hot.
Really? It’s a bit surprising. I thought boys would like it more. But I guess girls are quite adventurous these days. They like gore and action and all that. Girls like hardcore stuff!

What is your comfort zone as a performer?
I would still think it’s song and dance but I am doing ABCD where there is a different kind of dancing altogether. I believe getting too comfortable in that zone is also boring.

A lot is being made about this new avatar of yours. Does that increase the pressure on you?There are two sides to a coin. Sriram (Raghavan, the director behind movies like Johnny Gaddar and Ek Hasina Thi) sticks to his material no matter what. He wouldn’t want to make his hero sing or dance suddenly. The thought of what if it fails does stick but working with this team itself is going to be a huge reward. Any negative thought gets overshadowed by the positives of working with this team..

How much does the box office weigh on your mind while accepting a film?
When a script is offered, the first thought is how I react to it or how much I enjoy it. But yes, I have to think of the audience as well. I am a weird guy, I may like something but what if the audience doesn’t.