How Anil Kapoor Convinced Varun Dhawan To Back David Dhawan's Return With Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai

Hai

Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai is set to mark the end of an era as veteran filmmaker David Dhawan steps away from direction after decades of shaping Bollywood's commercial comedy landscape. While the film serves as his farewell project, there was a time when even his family believed he would never return to the director's chair because of health-related concerns. Varun Dhawan recently revealed that they had accepted the possibility of David's retirement, but Anil Kapoor who urged Varun to stand by his father and encourage him to direct again, ultimately paving the way for the filmmaker's comeback.

What did Anil Kapoor advise Varun Dhawan?

Speaking to Bombay Times, Varun Dhawan reflected on the possibility of Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai being father David Dhawan's final directorial venture. He revealed that there was a time when the family believed the filmmaker would never return to the sets due to health concerns. "My mom, Rohit and I felt he should not direct a film," Varun shared, recalling the difficult phase his father was going through. It was then that Anil Kapoor stepped in with a piece of advice that changed his perspective. "You have to let your father get back on the sets. He has spent more time on the set than he has spent at home. His home is the set and behind the camera," Kapoor told him.

Calling the actor's work ethic similar to his father's, Varun said the conversation made him realise that the family needed to support David Dhawan's return to filmmaking.

David Dhawan's films worked because emotions were real, says Varun Dhawan

Asked how Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai balances the nostalgia of classic David Dhawan entertainers with the preferences of today's audiences,Varun Dhawan said his father never approached filmmaking with the intention of making "comedy films". Instead, David always saw himself as an entertainer. "Main entertainer bana raha tha. Main logon ko entertain karna chahta tha. Usme romance tha, emotion tha, drama bhi tha, thoda sa action bhi tha," Varun shared, adding that the humour in those films only worked because it was rooted in genuine emotion.The actor further stressed that people often overlooked the emotional core of films such as Aankhen, Coolie No. 1 and Biwi No. 1, choosing instead to label them as comedies. "Unn emotions ke bagair, those films would not be what they were," he said. Varun recalled watching Aankhen with a packed audience during the David Dhawan Film Festival and being struck by how effortlessly the film still connected with viewers decades later. "It was still so entertaining and magical," he noted.

According to Varun, the secret to his father's sense of humor was that it never seemed artificial. The humor flowed naturally from realistic characters and situations, rather than relying on trends, viral jokes, or forced jokes.Speaking about Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai, directed by David Dhawan, the film stars Varun, Mrunal Thakur, and Pooja Hegde in the lead roles and follows Jas, whose life turns upside down when his estranged wife and new girlfriend both announce their pregnancies on the same day, leading a whirlwind of confusion, secrets and comedy.