Varun Dhawan: The actor who became a star first

Varun Dhawan is still basking in the glory of his latest release October and for anyone who has seen and loved the film, they will know that with this film, an actor was born. Tapping into Dan’s psyche and making us see the world through his eyes was quite an achievement for Dhawan and I say that because never had I imagined that the man who has featured in films like Judwaa 2 and Main Tera Hero would successfully display this side of himself on the silver screen.

It isn’t just me who holds this opinion for Varun Dhawan, many would agree when I say that Varun Dhawan has always been the quintessential Bollywood star, but acting.. not so much. The superstar title does not necessarily require one to act but if they can, it’s like a cherry on top. Varun Dhawan, is now a part of that league, even though he only has a couple of films to back that claim.

Ever since he made his debut in 2013, Varun Dhawan has been a part of a lot of hits. By hits I mean the films that have done really well at the box office but haven’t necessarily been great performances. His chiseled abs and near-perfect dance moves have gathered him a large fan following. I even once saw a little girl going ga-ga when she saw a poster of Dhawan in a mall and insisted that her mother click her picture with the said poster. That is his charm. In impressing a younger audience, Varun Dhawan has managed to secure his longevity as a star. But cinegoers who come back disappointed from the theatres every week were still not a part of his fan base. With October, he has impressed them as well and that only adds credibility to his future work.

For many years, Dhawan stood tall for his performance in Badlapur and while that was quite commendable, it was no October.

With conversation about nepotism erupting every few weeks, Varun Dhawan has borne the brunt of being David Dhawan’s son as well. Even though he wasn’t launched by his father, one can suspect that having Dhawan as his surname must have played a role in the same. For having seen superstars like Govinda and Salman Khan casually hang out at his house, Varun has seen what makes a star and that too, really closely. And that probably played a role in his film choices as well.

Having starred in 10 films till date, Dhawan is just starting to build a filmography that will tell his tale one day. He became an entertainer with his dance moves and with some really mainstream film choices, he reached a large part of the audience who loves to watch the song and dance drama because after all, that is what we love about Bollywood. His upcoming films include Sui Dhaaga and the recently announced Kalank and if October is an example, we will probably see a hint of this nuanced performer in all his future films.

One would remember that it was soon after Highway that the audience acknowledged the acting chops of Alia Bhatt and since then, even her commercial mainstream performances like 2 States and Badrinath Ki Dulhania have always carried a hint of the actor that shone in the Imtiaz Ali film. We hope that October will act as the benchmark for Varun Dhawan as well.