Varun Dhawan recalls growing up in a lower-middle-class family: 'Mom asked to cut expenses when dad's film flopped'

Bollywood actor Varun Dhawan recalls his lower-middle-class upbringing, emphasising getting more love over wealth.

Bollywood actor Varun Dhawan is the son of acclaimed filmmaker David Dhawan. While the actor now enjoys a luxurious life, he recently revealed that he grew up in a lower-middle-class family and had more love than wealth. He also recalled going to school in an auto and having to cut down on expenses when his father’s film flopped.

Varun Dhawan talks about his family.

Varun Dhawan on growing up in a lower-middle-class family

In a recent episode of Be A Man, Yaar!, Varun spoke about his childhood and recalled how his father used to work around the clock. He said, "Mujhe bachpan mein pyaara bahut mila as compared to wealth (I got more love in childhood than wealth). Because we were not very well-to-do as we became later. We were very lower middle class because my dad’s career hadn’t taken off to that level."

The actor revealed that his family’s financial status did not matter much to him and also spoke about going to school in an auto. He said, “Aap zameen pe sula lo yaa bed pe (Make me sleep on bed or floor), it didn’t matter. Papa toh ghar pe hote hi nahi the (Papa wasn't at home much). He was working round the clock doing 2 movies at a time. Mumma keh deti thi yeh khaana jo tum khaa rahe ho yeh papa kaam kar rahe hain isliye khaa rahe ho, aise dialogues sunane mil jaate the. Yaa koi film nahi chali toh Dad ki yeh film nahi chali, ab aage pata nahi kya karenge so you have to cut down on your expenses (Mum used to say, ‘The food you’re eating is because your father is working and earning for it,’ so we often got to hear dialogues like that. Or if one of his films didn’t do well, it would be like, ‘Your dad’s film hasn’t worked, and now we don’t know what he’ll do next, so you’ll have to cut down on your expenses).”

David Dhawan started off as an editor in the 1984 film Saaransh before becoming a director and specialising in comedy films. He made his directorial debut in 1989 with Taaqatwar, starring Sanjay Dutt and Govinda. However, it was in 1993 that he gained recognition with the success of Aankhen. He then went on to deliver major hits with Govinda, including Biwi No.1, Shola Aur Shabnam, Coolie No.1, Raja Babu, Hero No.1, Partner and more. Over the course of his career, the filmmaker has directed almost 45 films.

Varun, on the other hand, became an actor. He started off as an assistant director and was later launched by Karan Johar. With his debut film, Student of the Year, he became a sensation and went on to deliver hits like Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania, Badrinath Ki Dulhania, Badlapur and Main Tera Hero, among others.

David Dhawan and Varun Dhawan's upcoming movie

The father-son duo are now awaiting the release of their upcoming film, Hai Jawaani Toh Ishq Hona Hai. The film also stars Mrunal Thakur and Pooja Hegde in lead roles, along with Mouni Roy, Rohit Saraf and others in key roles. The film was earlier scheduled to release on 4 June, but to avoid a clash with Yash’s Toxic, it has now been postponed to 12 June.