October Musings: Varun is glad he was badly dressed the day he met Shoojit!

By Nichola

on March 12, 2018

Director Shoojit Sircar, Varun Dhawan and Banita Sandhu launched the much-awaited trailer of October today. At the event, Varun and Shoojit were at their candid best and made some fun revelations for the media and fans present there.

Have a look!

Varun actually spilled his tea!

Varun shared, “I’ve always been a fan of Shoojit (Sircar, director), of Ronnie (Lahiri, producer), of Juhi (Chaturvedi, writer), of the kind of films they have made. And I would always yearn to work with them. I remember being very jealous of Ayushmann when he did Vicky Donor! And I would get a lot of letters and tweets telling me I should get a chance to work with Soojit sir. I would say, it isn’t in my hands; he isn’t choosing me for his films. Also, my mother is here today because he is one of her favourite directors. Once a few of my films did well, I got courage and decided to approach sir, and convince him to cast me. I’m glad that I was dressed badly that day, I’m glad that I was very clumsy when I met him – I even spilled tea! Because he saw Dan in me…I don’t know why."

“One thing about actors is that the world starts feeling very fake. There’s someone who brings your clothes, someone does your hair, another does your make-up. And then you are prepped and presented as a product. So that is not Varun; Varun is beneath all this,” said Shoojit and added, “The real Varun you will find in October."

Watch a plant – Shoojit advised Varun

Shoojit pointed out, “My films always require a certain level of honesty, an honesty in the character. So Ronnie, Juhi and I decided we would cast fresh actors in the film. We conducted auditions across India for Varun’s character as well.”

It was a chance meeting with Varun that led to Shoojit finding exactly what he was looking for in his eyes. “Firstly, I liked the way he came and introduced himself, because I had a different perception altogether of people who become overnight stars, with crazy fan following etc. I’m not used to that. I’m used to my kind of cinema, where I tell my stories my way. When we met I asked him, ‘Will you surrender yourself? Are you honest? Can you be yourself in this film?’ I just narrated two lines. He asked me what the process would be, whether he should read the script etc.”

All Shoojit told Varun was that instead of immediately picking up his phone on waking and checking his messages, as the actor usually did, he should sit in front of a plant, just watch it for 10 minutes and breathe. “For almost one year this was my only instruction,” the director shared, and it’s one that Varun followed, as his anxiety levels plummeted.