Long before Karan Johar introduced him to mainstream Bollywood in Student of the Year, Varun Dhawan was dreaming of a launch that sounded far more improbable and far more rebellious. The actor has now revealed that he once imagined making his acting debut either with Steven Spielberg in Hollywood or with Anurag Kashyap in India, two names he believed would truly stun his father, filmmaker David Dhawan.
Varun Dhawan’s Reveal About His Original Debut Plan
Speaking on Be A Man, Yaar!, Varun said acting was always the goal, but an easy family-backed entry was never part of the plan. Recalling what he was told at home, he said, “My mother told me that your father is never going to launch you because he has never launched anyone and he will only work with you when he feels you have become a star.”
That message directly shaped his early approach to the profession. Varun said he enrolled in acting classes while nurturing a debut fantasy that was anything but conventional. “I enrolled in various acting classes. In fact, my plan was to debut in Hollywood to show my father. I wanted that either Steven Spielberg or Anurag Kashyap should launch me. Papa ko jhatka sirf in dono cheez se lag sakta hai. But he was also shocked when Karan launched me,” he said.
Instead, it was Johar’s glossy 2012 campus drama Student of the Year that became his entry point. Co-starring Alia Bhatt and Sidharth Malhotra, the film clicked at the box office and earned about Rs 85.22 crore net in India. It established Varun as one of the most watched young actors of his generation. Before stepping in front of the camera, he had also worked as an assistant director on Johar’s My Name Is Khan, making his eventual debut feel like both a surprise turn and a natural progression.
That contrast between the actor he once imagined becoming and the star he eventually became makes his current career choices especially interesting.
From Spy Thrillers To A David Dhawan Homecoming
In the last two years, Varun has moved between streaming spectacle and big-screen action. In 2024, he starred opposite Samantha Ruth Prabhu in Citadel: Honey Bunny, the Raj and DK-created spy series that premiered on Prime Video on November 7. He then headlined Baby John, directed by Kalees and released in cinemas on December 25, 2024, with Keerthy Suresh, Wamiqa Gabbi and Jackie Shroff. The action drama generated strong curiosity before release but underperformed at the box office.
His next confirmed theatrical release is Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai, directed by David Dhawan and co-starring Pooja Hegde and Mrunal Thakur. The film is scheduled to release in cinemas on June 12, 2026. The project marks a full-circle moment for Varun, bringing him into his father’s comic entertainer universe after years of building a career across romance, comedy, action and now spy storytelling.
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