Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt pay tribute to DDlJ with their next, Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhaniya. The actors chatted with Samiksha Raj
It’s a tribute to Dilwale Dulhaniya le Jayenge but with a twist. Karan Johar’s Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhaniya (HSKD), starring Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt, is a new-age love story that promises to hook youngsters. “HSKD is neither the clichéd, melodramatic love story nor are we trying to preach anything through it,” says Alia, clad in a pink churidar. Shrugging off reports on HSKD being on the same lines as DDlJ, Varun says, “Alia, Siddharth and I are all DDlJ fans and so is our director Shashank Khaitan and not to forget KJo, who was a part of the film. It was the director’s call to pay homage to DDlJ in his directorial debut as the 1995 movie bore resemblance to his real life. No matter the situations are same and we also have few classic scenes from the SRK-Kajol starrer love story but the characters are completely different.” Alia adds: “We are not trying to ape DDlJ in any way.”
Alia and Varun have known each other since Student Of The Year days. Both of them loved the characters of Humpty and Kavya which drove them to make a comeback together. The tag of ‘star kid’ is also something that the two actors share in common. “Ever since I was born, I wanted to be an actor, an entertainer and a performer. While growing up I didn’t even know what a ‘star kid’ meant and so I just keep working hard for whatever comes my way. All my choices are different and decisions that I make are solely my own; I’m not advised by my father,” says Alia. Varun adds, “After I sign up for a movie, I inform my dad about the same. He helps me with some suggestions on the scenes and some references.”
The actors who have been receiving positive reviews for their work so far credited the support of the audience for their success. They say they have matured with each of their movies. “If one can easily accept praise then why not criticism. There’s no fun working without any competition and the biggest competition that one can look up to is the last film one has done,” says Alia. Varun is of the view that someone’s success should inspire you. He credits Hrithik Roshan for teaching him.
Another actor in HSKD, Siddharth Shukla, who is better known as Shiv from the telly soap Balika Vadhu, is more than happy to foray into Bollywood. “It has been fantastic and dream come true experience for me to be a part of the Dharma Productions venture. KJo spotted me at the dance reality show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa and offered HSKD, which I initially thought of as a prank,” says Siddharth.
Alia Bhatt tells us that she likes singing and is firm on taking it forward. On a lighter note, Varun Dhawan has emerged as the new ‘Saturday’ boy with two ‘Saturday’ songs to his name — Shanivar Rati (Main Tera Hero) and the latest Saturday Saturday.