Actor Varun Dhawan made his acting debut in 2012 with Karan Johar’s film Student of the Year alongside Sidharth Malhotra and Alia Bhatt. At the time of the film’s release, Varun admitted to feeling “insecure” about Siddharth’s good looks, fearing that audiences would not notice him in comparison. In a recent interview, Varun addressed his father David Dhawan’s claims. He often returned from the film sets upset because of Siddharth.

Speaking to Shubhankar Mishra on his YouTube channel, Varun told, “He was tall, good looking and there were two heroes in the film. At that time, I thought he was amazing and good looking, so people only do.” Look at him. Will people even notice me or not? What if my dream remains just a dream?”

Apart from Siddharth’s physical appeal, the ongoing nepotism debate surrounding the release of his first film added to Varun’s challenges.

He shared, “Also, the negativity around nepotism also started around that time. So during that time, I didn’t plan anything before entering the industry. All I knew was that I worked hard And I deserve it, but people were saying something else. The reception hasn’t always been great, people think. But I’ve had to fight a lot, no matter what, I’ll keep fighting.”

To counter these perceptions, Varun focused on proving himself through his work. “I had to work hard through my performance and work at that time. When my films started running, this notion was broken. Papa also gave me work later, but no matter how much I say, people will feel the same. (My father also gave me work. But whatever I say, people will think what they want),” he said.

Varun worked with his father David Dhawan in films like Main Tera Hero, Coolie No. 1 and Judwaa 2.

Currently, Varun is seen in Baby John, a film which has been widely panned by critics.