Yeah but that's not my point of view as a man that's not going to be my point of view
I have to earn for my family because that's what I'm taught
and she's like, you're chauvinistic I'm like how is that chauvinistic?
Your brother & father think the same way
I felt that they have heroism and
there's heroism in everyone but how do we bring that out,
that's the thing so I didn't
want to play Kukoo as a loser because I don't believe he-
it's a loser character
I mean there's some great we have some great directors in that genre
my father makes amazing ones Anees sir makes amazing ones
Indu Ji makes amazing ones
I personally don't take October as a failure
because it's made in a very limited
budget, yeah so it's fine I'm not charging the fee I'm charging on October
that I'm charging in...
you know Bhediyaa or my forthcoming film
it's much lesser
There is something there are 2-3 things in the pipeline
for that or doing a full-out mass action film and hopefully
next year you all should see me
There is more stuff also which will happen I'm just not overcrowding it Himesh
because every day we are learning something new with the box office you know
and about people wanting to go to cinema so
Hi guys this is Himesh and welcome to Pinkvilla
Today we have with us is Kukoo that is Varun Dhawan
Welcome to Pinkvilla Varun Thank you Himesh
Thank you so much, I'm excited to be here
actually this is the first interview I'm doing, post the release so
And congratulations like you have performed phenomenal in the film so
Thank you I mean the idea was that I do something
in this comic family genre
where I can do it a little differently than the ones I've done before
And that is visible with all the-
Thank you thank you so much
Undertones of emotions
Varun Jugjug is actually your 15th film if you look at all the 15 films you have done
which would be the most special one and which would be your most difficult?
A very tricky question to say which would be the most special one
obviously, you know the films that you do earlier in the career
the hunger and the drive and the craziness around them are something else only in itself
But sometimes films come along- Jugjug was a challenge I'll be honest with you
pandemic was on the character, how Raj wanted me to play it
he wanted control
which I didn't want to give so much but he wanted control but yet
I think a lot of humour has been created with the awkwardness of the character in a lot of scenes
and then that scene between me and Kiara
in the bedroom, that scene was a
tricky one that was such a tricky scene to do
because we till date didn't know how that scene was
and now whoever we meet they're talking about that as a very standout scene in the film
so very happy about that on an acting point of view at least
Actually that was one of my questions that particular scene
the kind of emotion you have over there, the rawness and everything
it's not something that we have seen before in
Humpty or Badri, it is not that raw
Correct.
How was it to pull it off? That and what were the discussions with Kiara before that?
Because you were having a blast on the set and then comes this intense-
So, me and Kiara actually got into 2-3 fights before we shot that scene genuinely
because we were discussing the scene and she was like you know I'll say this and I was like
but that's not my point of view as a man that's not going to be my point of view
I have to earn for my family because that's what I'm taught
and she's like no you're chauvinistic I'm like but how's that chauvinistic?
Your brother and your father thinks the same way
So, why am I a chauvinist? If I feel I need to earn for my family because
that's what I'm taught by my parents in my childhood
So,we had a few fights on that
and eventually, Raj would step in, we did a lot of readings for that scene
We did a lot of research, we saw stuff
She would keep sending materials i would send material to her and
we discussed that scene a lot I think that's one very... prepared scene we've done
And if we look at your character it is far off from being a quintessential hero
because you know your character is basically giving an helpless vibe
but yeah you know- but yet there is a redemption [Himesh]
Exactly, yet i didn't want to play him as a loser
you know it's very easy to say this guy is a loser or there is no heroism
I believe every character has heroism
you have to bring that out
For Kukoo heroism is that he fights for his mother and wants to see his family stay united
He wants his wife back. how he does that or whatever
I felt there is heroism and every person possesses it
But how do you bring that out? That's the thing
so I didn't want to play kukoo as a loser because I don't believe it's a loser character
yeah, of course, it's not, because there is a redemption arc towards the end and self-realisation
but- But that's why he's a bit aggressive
he was never, I don't think Raj wrote Kukoo so aggressive
But as we shot the film, I said anybody would react to these situations
but what we did is we made the aggressiveness funny
Like when he snaps- there were people laughing also even in the
in lot of scenes that i didn't imagine-
Actually, there's one scene where you go to meet Anil Kapoor sir in the 2nd half
that's actually a very intense moment of the film
but people are laughing, smiling and finding it funny
yes, you didn't expect this- No [Varun]
-reaction for sure, [Varun] It's the situation
See, you always find humour in other's problems you know Himesh there's a very funny incident
I have a video I'm not going to name the person obviously
There's this boy who i met in my gym and he went to
through a very similar situation like this obviously he's not married
but basically his father was
having an affair which he found out first about
and he told some people obviously, he shared with some people
I was in the same gym so I heard about it and now
I wanted to almost interview him because I said you know-
see you're laughing
But I also found it funny till I spoke to him and understood it's very uncomfortable
for a son to know that his father is having an affair with someone else
it's funny for a third person
but the funny thing was that he saw the phone and he straight away at some party which they had
he went and exposed the whole matter in the party
Like all his relatives were there and he blurted out that his father is having an affair
this actually happened
and then after that the mother only slapped him in the party
she said, is this something to say in the public?
That you're announcing to evryone
I know I'm the one saying this in public but people don't know about whom I'm talking so
Varun, over the last few weeks like ever since the trailer has been out
there was a controversy going around the script and everything
I believe the verdict has just come out
yeah What was your-
There was nothing because in the sense that you know these things sometimes happen
Obviously, if something like that has happened we as artists will never support that
Anil sir's working for so many years he's not going to do that
I will never do that we'll always take the side if someone is right
We will. but in this matter, I think when the script was read by the director Raj
there was no similarity at all
there's zero similarities what Raj told us and then after that whatever case happened
there's no injunction on the release
but I think what needs to happen is that sometimes stories
if you feel is similar, it is very important to know the intent
that some has robbed the story or not robbed the story of what has happened
but this has become a very big trend nowadays with Hindi films
or with any films that you know just before the release something will happen & all that stuff
so it's damaging.
I hope like Dharma as a production, Viacom as a studio they do the needful to
make sure that these things don't happen in the future for no reason
True. you know
Because this story is actually given to us by Anurag Singh, who's directed Kesari
and he's directed so many Punjabi films, produced so many Punjabi films
he gave the story to Raj
and that's how the process started,
yeah, the story of 2 couples getting divorced simultaneously
I have not seen any story like nor have I heard of any story like that
honestly, I haven't so, I don't know
I don't think there's a film on this- actually that's one of the biggest USP of the film
that it is so original that you don't know what is going to happen with the
couple exactly [Varun]
as an actor i know there is no formula for success but you are an-
you are an audience as well what do you think is exciting people to visit the cinema halls?
Something exciting, something they've not seen before but yet with a
with a balance of massiness in it
like which can reach out to everyone
basically, you have to have something of Indian culture in it
Something, you should have lots of Indian culture in it
the joke should be what we joke around
it should not be jokes that are cracked in other country
it should be jokes that we share and we do so Bhim's full character
all those WhatsApp jokes that he shares, though the jokes actually
are the ones that get circulated among us
that a father tells to his kid but the kid finds it lame
so,
luckily Raj kept it very desi in that sense and that's why this film is massy enough
I feel that it can reach out to more people, it's not alienating
correct. And David sir once said one should never open the bonnet of a moving car
For you, when you introspect your career, what is that 'moving car' for you?
No, I have done that a few times to check the engine
but I totally agree with him
What I love about doing films like that is
the blessings you get from the elders after the film,
so when I went for one of these shows outside,
all these aunties were coming and putting their hands on my head and literally
in thier minds or their hearts saying Jugjug jeeyo
that, I've wanted that during Main Tera Hero
And I wanted that during this film, i wanted this blessing
and that's all it's about
it's about getting that love from the audience that is why
So what you're doing, if you're loved for that then that's above anything else
genuine love! we are getting love
The box office I don't want to get into right now because that's
unpredictable [Himesh] [Varun] yeah because it's there today
It's not there tomorrow it's this and that whatever
It's there it's great that is also there compared to how our
year has been so far so that's also great all that is great but I'm saying that
mainly the love of that audience because that word of mouth needs to multiply
what is that genre which you can say that this is my comfort zone
you know,this genre will always work for you
Masala, comedy
Okay and you're looking to explore that sometime soon?
Soon... yeah I want to do
I think I want to do one. I'm waiting for a subject
There are some people who I have
spoken to who...
... want to make some I mean there's some great-
we have some great directors in that genre, my father makes amazing ones
Anees sir makes amazing ones Indu Ji makes amazing ones and
from the younger lot i think Raj is superb Sashank obviously, me and he
had very successful two outings
so yeah I'll definitely be doing more comedies, want to get some action in it as well
so yeah but we need to open them up now
And if you look at your career of the 15 films, 10 have been successful
In fact, your first 9 films were like success... and-
Which were the five which are not successful, let's count
Kalank
You have an easter egg of Kalank in this one How comfortable were you with that?
I am very comfortable with it, I found it very funny, there was an entire joke on it
which then Raj removed, I find it funny so see
Kalank, the thing is it just became a
thing to make, it's not a film that really lost money in that sense I mean
if you ask Fox also
it's still fine like they ended up because whatever streaming and rights
and all they all it's all okay that film is remembered for that song now 'Main Tera'
So on May 13th that song get's viral
i get so many memes 'Main Tera...'
So I find that funny
If something is trolled a lot or receives a lot of love
it means people are waking up to
It's being noticed basically, so my question is success and failure
How do you tackle it as an actor like do you introspect your failures or what's your thing?
No I don't I don't really
Because see introspect, you know what's a bad film or good film-
that you need to know so that I know that Kalank and Street Dancer
were not the best films, they din't turn out to be the best film but I still can't
Something I keep getting from them so I got Main Tera & First Class from Kalank
And from Street Dancer the host of songs and kids who enjoy it on wherever they see it
and that film didn't lose money, I don't know how
to justify I don't want to justify it but I didn't end up losing money
didn't end up making the amount we wanted but it didn't end up losing money for anyone
and besides that I don't know which other film to actually call
that didn't work like I don't think
I personally don't take October as a failure because it's made in a very
limited budget yeah so it's fine
I'm not charging the fee I'm charging on October that I'm charging in
you know Bhediyaa or my forthcoming films, it's much...
lesser.
Correct. And actually how and
every question is getting connected, that was actually one of my next questions
In today's times there's so much discussions happening around
how the dynamics of film should be in terms of budgets
actor's fees, what do you prefer? How is your-
My take on this? I think most of the money- and what do you as an actor prefer [himesh]
See I think most of the money should go into making the film and
that's what happened with Jugjug Jeeyo you know
most of the money went into making the film and to keep the film
because it's a family film and that's the genre it was very safely
Made. That we wanted to keep it very safe and plus the pandemic was on during that time
so it was made very comfortably in that sense, I mean now because there's so many rights
you're in safety sometimes, you're not spending that much but
because you want to make larger scale like
Bhediyaa is a very large scale film
Dino is putting in a lot of money in the VFX,
we've got MPC from Hollywood to do VFX on this film
So that's a big film now, big film on the money will go in
So I can do
he can say it if you ask him but I'll put in my own money to make sure
that film is right
So i just feel that's the way now we need to make films now
we need to try and make, create something bigger & larger
and that will excite the audience 100 per cent [Varun]
and there are a lot of people who want to see you in an out-and-out action film
you come from that school also-
Fully. There is something there are 2-3 things in the pipeline for that
doing a full-out mass action film and hopefully
next year you all should see me
Okay and the last couple of questions, your next 2 films which are confirmed
announced announced
are Bhediya and Bawal
correct. I know you can't speak much but
can you tell us a little bit about the world of these 2 films
bhediya I can say that we shot extensively in zero and
it's a crazy character
I don't think anyone has played a character like that and
once in a lifetime opportunity for me to get it right
under the guidance of Amar Kaushik, who's
I mean from day 1 till now he's only on that film
every day checking the VFX, checking stuff making sure nobody makes fun of things
he wants to get it so right and
worked with Kriti on that
and Abhishek Banerjee
and one very special debutant boy is going to be in that film from North-East
he's a brilliant actor and
very exciting film
then there's obviously Bawal with Nitesh Tiwari sir
and that one I'm enjoying, in fact I'm going to go leave for that shooting after this
I'm loving shooting with Nitesh sir, he is
he is the- like he is so good for actors
I mean he'll get the best out of you how he does that?
only he knows he's too good
So, those are the 2 confirmed?
Those are the 2- so I'm chasing big
good directors, hopefully who are you know good
that should have your line up in place basically
yeah and there is more stuff also which will happen, I'm just not overcrowding it Himesh
because every day we're learning something new with the box office you know
and about people wanting to go to the cinema so,
And lastly, what's your take on OTT?
Love it.
And you follow all the shows and everything? Do you think stars coming on ott as a series
do you think it has any sort of impact on the big screen format because they're available-
No not really it depends on what you're doing? or how long you're on breaks?
how exclusive you're making yourself
and how prime you're keeping yourself
it depends on that
Okay and last words on everyone who watched jugjug Jeeyo
Thank you so much for the love there's a lot of immense faith that you've shown for the film and
mainly, I always say that go in for the film
I believe we've made a good film Himesh also feels that
I genuinely feel it's a good film
of mine after a long time since there was this pandemic in between
I'm back in cinemas with this good film
so please go watch it and
give us all the love because it'll entertain you
Perfect. Thank you so much Varun and Wish you all the best for Jugjug Jeeyo-
thank you Himesh [Varun] [Himesh] and all the upcoming films
Thank you
hey guys, this is Varun Dhawan and you're watching me on Pinkvilla's Youtube channel
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