Varun Dhawan reveals he wanted to make debut with Hollywood film directed by Steven Spielberg; says, 'Papa ko jhatka lagta'

Varun Dhawan marked his debut with Karan Johar's 'Student of the Year', co-starring Alia Bhatt and Sidharth Malhotra in 2010. However, did you know that the actor had always dreamt about being launched in Hollywood? Not just that, he wanted legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg to be the director of his first film.

Varun Dhawan reveals he wanted to make his debut with Steven Spielberg's film

In conversation with the Be A Man, Yaar! podcast, Varun Dhawan shared that he always wanted to be an actor. The actor revealed that his mother had told him when he was young that his father, David Dhawan, would not launch him just because he was his son.




Varun recalled, "My mother told me that your father is never going to launch you because he has never launched anyone and he will only work with you when he feels you have become a star."

In the same conversation, Varun revealed that he had joined several acting classes before making his debut. He said, "In fact, my plan was to debut in Hollywood to show my father. I wanted that either Steven Spielberg or Anurag Kashyap should launch me. Papa ko jhatka sirf in dono cheez se lag sakta hai (my father would have been shocked only by these two things)."

He added, "But he was also shocked when Karan (Johar) launched me."

More about Varun Dhawan

On the work front, Varun Dhawan was last seen in the film 'Border 2'. The movie went on to earn over Rs 400 crore at the global box office. It was released in theaters on January 23, 2026.

The actor will next feature in the film titled 'Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai', co-starring Mrunal Thakur and Pooja Hegde as female leads. The movie was supposed to release on June 5, 2026; however, the date was shifted to avoid a clash with Yash's 'Toxic: A Fairytale for Grown Ups'. Now, the film is scheduled to release in cinemas on 12 June.Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”