''My Son, Varun Is My Greatest Challenge''

It is difficult to believe that David Dhawan, the man who once was not very sure where he was heading (he was only a trained Editor from the FTII) is now waiting for the release of his Main Tera Hero. It is also difficult to imagine that the man who was not sure about himself is now very sure that his son, Varun Dhawan who is all set to face his big test of facing his father as his director. Varun made his debut in Karan Johar’s Student of the Year which got him all the recognition as an actor in a class of his own. But it is a very different experience for him to be directed by his father for whom entertainment is a job which he enjoys, he wants his actors and technicians to enjoy and finally make his audience enjoy the experience of his meaning of entertainment.

DD, as David Dhawan known as the maker with the Midas touch when it comes to making all those big box office entertainers, is still as sharp as ever. He has not lost his magic touch even after two decades of making films spiced with all the ingredients he is confident will bring in the audience in droves. He is a specialist when it comes to catering to the tastes of the masses. The big man who is often called ''the reincarnation of Manmohan Desai'', the greatest master of Hindi film entertainment, had shown signs of losing his grip once in a way but with Main Tera Hero DD is back to where he always belonged - in the big league. And the man who has reached a stage where he is going out to give films a new dimension when it comes to entertainment is all charged about entering a new phase in his life, this time with his son who is already a star.

You have directed some of the biggest stars. How is it different to work with your own son in a film which is so obviously made to give your son the image of a hero like Govinda, or that is the feeling one gets after seeing the trailer of ''Main Tera Hero''?

True, I have worked with the best of stars, but it is a very different challenge and experience to direct your own son. I always knew that Varun had all the makings of an entertainer. I was very happy that he got a break from Karan Johar who has groomed him as an actor. But, I felt that it was very necessary for him to know the exact way in which a hero is recognized as a great entertainer. I first asked him if he would like to work in the kind of films I made. He readily agreed and it is only after he said yes that I wrote a script which would suit him and that is how he was the hero of Main Tera Hero.

There are several sequences and scenes with Varun in them which reminds many of Govinda who worked with you in more than twenty films.

The Govinda hangover cannot leave me easily because I personally feel that there has been no greater entertainer than Govinda. To tell you frankly, I sometimes made an effort to make Varun follow what Govinda did in the films I made with him and I was surprised to see Varun not only paying a tribute to the genius of Govinda as an entertainer without any comparison, but the bigger surprise was to see Varun giving his own touch to the scenes where entertainment was all that really mattered and things like logic had no place in them. I am very happy to see the same Varun of Student Of The Year playing the hero who will I am sure and God-willing will be loved by the masses which is what really matter if one has to be a real hero in the kind of commercial Hindi films which are the backbone of the industry.

Do you have the usual elements of entertainment that you have been branded for in all your films?

All that and much more. All the gags and gimmicks, all the sparkling and even double meaning dialogue, all the raunchy and colourful dances, some very pretty young girls and the speed at which every scene goes without giving the audience a chance to take a nap, a break for a cigarette and giving them no chance to use their minds for what they call logic. There are many other ways of finding logic, but when the audience comes to see a David Dhawan film they have to forget that they have come to find some message or listen to some sermon or a pravachan from a learned mahatma, but to enjoy life during all the time they are seeing my film, and this is what they will also have to do when they see Varun in all his various moods and colours in Main Tera Hero..

The times have changed. The Govinda kind of entertainment has become a thing of the past. The tastes of the audience have also taken a drastic turn. Do you think that ''Main Tera Hero'' will be able to keep with all these changes?

Entertainment is entertainment at all times, the only difference is in how you present the kind of entertainment. It is very necessary for any director to keep changing with the times even if it means taking the audience through a very different and exciting experience. I was totally aware of Varun and his talent and I had full faith in him that he would give entertainment a new meaning with his performances as an all-rounder in his very first film of my kind. I don’t want to say anything more about the film like I have always not talked too much about my films before their release. Let the audiences who have always shown how much they love my films with my own understanding and timing of entertainment and they are the only people who judgment really matters to me.

What about the girls who play their roles in a film which as the title so clearly says it is an all hero, which means it is an all Varun film?

I have not one but three young and beautiful actresses in the film and I must say they have worked very hard to live up to my expectation and have kept Varun on the alert all the time because they are not just faces and bodies to attract the audience, but they are also all very talented and have brought every scene they have acted in the glamour and the talent they are so abundantly blessed with. The three actresses who make a big difference to Main Tera Hero for Nargis Fakhri, Ileana D’Cruz and Evelyn Sharma, all of them girls who have a very bright future, take it from me.

And music has always been like the soul of most of your films. What is the role played by music in ''Main Tera Hero''?

It is the first time that I have worked with music directors, Sajid-Wajid and the results are already showing and will shine out when the film is released. My films are a blend of the best of the performances, the best music, and the best and most crazy action and you will see a double dose of all these elements in the most important film of my career as a director because I have a challenge which my son has given me. I am waiting and I know all those who know what kind of films I make and even those who don’t will wait for April, 4 which is a an important day for a father and his son who have left no stone unturned to give entertainment in Hindi films a new direction and a new meaning. I know how important the film is because not only the industry but the entire country will be waiting to see what kind of wonders David Dhawan can work with his son Varun Dhawan who has already made a name for himself as a star and will have to prove that he is not a fluke, but a star and an extraordinary actor who knows his responsibility now and for the future...

Success seems to have been a very good partner in your life?

God has been kind to me for giving me a partner like success. It is very difficult to have success as a partner, a very kind and helpful partner.

There are so many who try to find success as a partner but very few find it?

I have been very lucky for the last 20 years and I hope our partnership continues for a long time. One very good thing about our partnership is that more than us I am happy that our partnership has benefited so many other people, producers, stars, writers, music directors, technicians, distributors, exhibitors and so many hundreds of people. Success demands a lot from you, hard work, dedication and humility more than anything else. You cannot play around with success. You cannot take it for granted. You cannot let it go to your head. Any mistake you make any misunderstanding you have with it and success can take you for a bumpy and rough ride to no where. It is a very delicate partnership and I have to be very careful and treat success with all the care. Success is a great partner as long as you don't misuse it.

Will you continue making entertainers like "Main Tera Hero"? Are you not scared of reaching a saturation point?

Entertainment is forever. As long as there is life, there will be a need for entertainment. Just imagine life without entertainment. I will make Entertainers as long as people love entertainment. And I don't think people can ever stop loving entertainment.