Mumbai: Bollywood star Varun Dhawan on Wednesday said he drew references from megastar Amitabh Bachchan’s cult film “Hum” while preparing to play dual roles in the upcoming action feature “Baby John”.
Dhawan, known for “Badlapur”, “October”, and “Bhediya”, said Bachchan continues to inspire the newer generation of actors.
Directed by Mukul Anand, “Hum” followed a dock worker called Tiger (Bachchan), who renames himself as Shekhar to safeguard his family from his violent past. The 1991 film also starred Rajinikanth, Govinda, Kimi Katkar, and Shilpa Shirodkar.
“I liked ‘Hum’ and it featured Rajinikanth sir, Govinda ji, and Mukul Anand is one of my favourite directors. When he made the film, it was ahead of its time. The way he had shown the past and present of Amit ji, it was great.
“Amit ji has done so many iconic films, there’s so much to learn from him, the newer generation of actors should not forget that bible. There’s a shot in ‘Hum’ where he fights and then runs. I thought of that scene while doing this film,” the actor told reporters here at the press conference of “Baby John”.
The film, directed by Kalees, will see Dhawan play a cop named Satya Verma and John, his alter ego.
The actor said “Baby John” was the most emotionally challenging film of his career.
“There were certain scenes where I felt emotionally drained. Kalees sir would tell me not to get emotional but sometimes I would just break down,” he added.
Dhawan also thanked singer Diljit Dosanjh for lending his voice to the song “Nain Matakka” in the film. They are also set to share screen space in upcoming war drama “Border 2”.
“Working with Diljit was so easy, we had so much fun together. He is a pure artist, it’s beautiful to see him perform. I’m going to be working with him as a co-star in ‘Border 2’. I’m thankful to Diljit paaji for the song.”
“Baby John”, also starring Wamiqa Gabbi, Keerthy Suresh and Jackie Shroff, marks the Hindi production debut of Atlee of “Jawan” fame and his wife Priya Mohan under their A For Apple Studios.
Atlee heaped praises on the cast and director of the film.
“He (Varun) is outstanding in the film and has pushed himself very hard. Keerthy Suresh is our best friend and I thank her for accepting the role. It is an important and challenging part. She has pulled it off well.
“I was waiting to work with Wamiqa. This is a film that I’ve produced, but we will work together soon. And, he (Kalees) is going to be the director of the year,” the filmmaker said.
Dhawan expressed gratitude towards producers Atlee and Murad Khetani of Cine1 Studios for backing “Baby John”.
“In today’s environment if you have to bring a film then you need strong production support otherwise it becomes difficult to release a film. The environment is such that only larger-than-life films are being released. A Hindi film is being released after 55 days,” he said, referring to “Baby John”.
“Mahanati” star Suresh, who is making her Bollywood debut with “Baby John”, said she is happy to be part of the movie.
“Atlee and I’ve been friends for a long time but this is the first time that we are working together. Hopefully, next time it will be under his direction. I’m happy to be working with Wamiqa, I liked her work in ‘Godha’ (Malayalam film). Varun is a great actor and you will see a different side of him in this film,” the National Award winner said.
Gabbi, whose credits include “Khufiya”, “Jubilee”, and “Grahan”, said she was looking forward to doing a larger-than-life movie like “Baby John”.
“This world of ‘Baby John’ is different and I was excited to be part of it. It’s not that we all grew up watching realistic films, we all watched larger-than-life movies. I wanted to be part of this world and I’m happy I got a chance with this film,” she added.
“Baby John”, also backed by Jio Studios, is slated to hit the big screens on December 25.
