Loss fascinates me immensely: Varun Dhawan

Basking In  The Glowing Reviews  Of October Varun Dhawan Speaks  To Subhash K Jha On What  Success Means  To Him

Hello, am I speaking to the Supertar Varun Dhawan?

(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.

Dan is not heroic in the filmy sense.What made you play such a  character at this stage  of your career?

This is  what I was asked when I did Badlapur. I hope this question  keeps coming up in my career.

You will continue to seek out roles that push  the envelope?

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  offbeat 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.

The  collections have  increased manifold?

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.

Would  you be  doing more  such  envelope phadu roles?

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.

I didn’t like the way the journey ended?

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.

You’ve had cent-perecent  success so   far , even your awful Dilwale is considered  a hit. Do you think October will not interrupt your success spell?

About Dilwale, even today you’ll 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 Dulhaniya and  Judwaa 2  I could’ve done  another blockbuster kind of film. But I wanted  to  do  a character  who was  not so high on selfconfidence. Dan is a bit of upstart. He isn’t your  average hero at all. When I heard about the role I  insisted that Shoojit cast me, although he had a  completely different cast in mind.Dan is just 21-22. Much younger than me.

How old are you?

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 in my subconscious I had stored all those memories and I used it  inOctober.

It is interesting you say that, because I remember  Shabana Azmi telling me how she would  find herself observing herself  and the other mourners at someone’s death.

Yes,  as an  actor even  I  am  very  observant. I like to look at people’s quirks mannerisms their expressions in given situations. Loss fascinates me immensely. I wonder what it would be  like to lose someone really close .

Not very pleasant, I can assure you…

To me  as an actor  it is remarkable that we were able to make this film, and on  the  budget that such a project permitted. Shoojit and  I were lucky to have producers  like Sheel Kumar and Ronnie Lahiri who  completely believed in what we were doing.

I believe  you took a massive  remuneration cut in October?

I wasn’t even thinking about money when I got the chance to do  October. I just wanted to be part of this film.

What  is  you biggest takeaway from this film?

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 …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.

And  yet you’ve  moved out of your family home  into  your own place?

That’s because  I needed more space.And my own private space.

Did you buy your home as  preparation  for marriage ?

Aisa kuch nahin hai. Of course  it will happen in good time.