‘Badlapur’ will stir debates: Varun Dhawan

The intense film, directed by Sriram Raghavan and produced by Dinesh Vijan under his banner Maddock Films, also stars Yami Gautam, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Huma Qureshi and Divya Dutta in pivotal roles.

Calling the film’s ending risky, the actor said it will spark a lot of discussions and debates.

“We had three endings but Sriram being Sriram chose the riskiest one. It will make you think. There will be debates about the film and a lot of other things. It is a take on society so it will make one think,” Varun said in a group interview. The 27-year-old star said he is happy to be a part of a tricky film like ‘Badlapur’. “This film is very entertaining. It is fast-paced and edge-of the-seat thriller. We have taken a lot of risks but we have taken them because it is fun. ‘Badlapur’ will make you feel uncomfortable but in a cool way,” Varun said.

‘Badlapur’ is an important film in the career of the young star, who has so far starred in hit romantic comedies and Varun said the movie was indeed his biggest challenge.

“When I was first offered ‘Badlapur’ I thought they were crazy. Why would they want me to be in the film because I am quite young for the part. But honestly I also thought it was the biggest challenge of my life to play Raghu,” he said.

The actor said ‘Badlapur’ is significant for Hindi cinema at large as he thinks the movie breaks away from “repetitive content”. “I do hope from this role not only for myself but for the sake of cinema. I read in film reviews that movies generally have old wine in a new bottle. It got stuck in my mind why critics write this and are we becoming repetitive as an industry?

“The attempt is not to say all that stuff is bad, I will be doing those type of films but I want new things to come so that people get entertained. ‘Badlapur’ is exactly that,” he said.

Varun said he was star-struck by his co-star Nawazuddin the first time they met.

“Before we started shooting I was a little intimidated by Nawaz because I am a fan of his work,” he said.

Nawazuddin plays Varun’s nemesis in ‘Badlapur’ and though the ‘Main Tera Hero’ actor has romanced Yami in the film, he hailed his pairing with ‘The Lunchbox’ star as the best one.

“There was a very uncomfortable energy between us while shooting the film because that’s the way we needed to be in the film mostly. Once as actors we understood that this is what was needed, it set in. I have the most amazing chemistry with Nawaz in the film.

“I will go on record to say that. I feel it is a match made in hell almost. The way we are with each other, the way we talk to each other (in the film), people are going to see two people from different backgrounds pitted against each other. Sriram captured it beautifully,” Varun said.

The film has got an A certificate but the actor is happy as he feels it is for mature audience. “‘Badlapur’ is made for the mature audience. I think everyone is kind of ready for such thrillers. We have not shied away from anything,” he said.