"... But one day I realized that it (love for wrestling) is not going to take me anywhere." - Varun Dhawan.
Whether it's the flamboyant Sinu in 'Main Tera Hero' or the restrained Dan in 'October', Varun Dhawan can do both and how! He is really good at being the quintessential Bollywood hero - with all that energy, larger-than-life presence, and loud dialogues. And he can also tone it down and go absolutely subtle on the screen, leaving a lasting impact on the audience. What's more, he can also dive deep into the darkest corners of the human psyche, and portray complex and emotionally charged characters. All he needs is a good director who would guide him to push his limits, bringing the best out of him.
Varun Dhawan in 'October’
One of India's highest-paid actors, Varun Dhawan celebrates his 37th birthday today. On this occasion, we share an interesting fact about him that you didn't know.
Yes, you read it right! Although coming from a family deeply rooted in the film industry, Varun Dhawan was more into sports as a kid and wanted to become a wrestler. He literally grew up watching WWF and was a huge fan of The Rock.
In his own words, "... as a child, I wanted to become a wrestler. Like in childhood, we used to watch WWF, I was inspired by all of that. One of my favorite wrestlers was Rock, who has become an actor."
Varun Dhawan with wrestler Triple H
"I used to have lot of arguments with my mother, due to a lot of bruises on my body for trying my hand at wrestling. I used to say 'I am Rock' and I would get slapped."
Varun Dhawan with his father, filmmaker David Dhawan
He further added, "Rock became an actor and he is quite successful. So one day I realized that it (love for wrestling) is not going to take me anywhere. The entertainment part has always attracted me. I wanted to be performer, like I used to dance at weddings. I felt acting was my calling and that is something I wanted to do."
The Rock
It's worth noting that although he is now an accomplished actor in Bollywood, he still is passionate about wrestling, and often posts about the same on social media.
Varun Dhawan started his career as an assistant director to Karan Johar on the film 'My Name Is Khan'. In 2012, he made his acting debut with Johar's film 'Student of the Year' alongside Sidharth Malhotra and Alia Bhatt. Critic Rajeev Masand wrote about his performance, "It's Varun Dhawan who stands out with a confident, charming turn, able to tackle both comical and vulnerable scenes with ease."
(Credit: Dharma Productions)
The actor next worked in his father David Dhawan's romantic comedy film, 'Main Tera Hero', and achieved further success. His comic timing in the film was well-received and was even compared to that of Govinda. And the film emerged as a massive commercial success, grossing 780 million Indian rupees worldwide. It then paved his way to films like 'Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania', 'Badlapur', 'ABCD 2', 'Dilwale', 'Dishoom', 'Badrinath Ki Dulhania', 'Judwaa 2', and 'October' among others.
(Credit: Risingsunrsf)
In 2022, he was honored with "Best Actor of the Decade" at the Indian Television Academy Awards.
Happy Birthday, Varun Dhawan! Best Wishes For All Your Upcoming Endeavors!
