Varun Dhawan’s 10 Best Roles, Ranked

Before Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai hits the screens, we rank Varun Dhawan’s best films and shows from passably entertaining to outright fantastic.

Varun Dhawan is returning with his new film Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai, a comedy that pairs him opposite two lovely leading ladies, Pooja Hegde and Mrunal Thakur.

It is a crucial release for the actor, one that could potentially restore some of the box office momentum he enjoyed before 2020, before the pandemic changed everything, including the audience’s perception of their favourite stars.

Varun Dhawan had a dream debut as one of the three principal leads in Karan Johar’s glossy Student Of The Year, alongside Alia Bhatt and Sidharth Malhotra.

At that point, he was arguably the most noticed of the trio, emphasis on ‘at that point’, considering Alia has since emerged as the biggest star among them, even winning a National Award.

The subsequent successes of films like Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania, Badrinath Ki Dulhania and ABCD 2, along with the critical acclaim he earned for Badlapur and October, made many believe he was a superstar in the making.

But recent years have constantly challenged that perception, with Varun struggling to deliver a strong solo hit.

Whether Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai, directed by his father David Dhawan, becomes that much-needed game changer remains to be seen when it releases on June 5.

While we wait to see whether this comedy truly lands its laughs, Sreeju Sudhakaran picks 10 comparatively good films and (series) from Varun Dhawan’s career and ranks them from passable entertainers to near-classic territory.

10. Border 2

Border 2 is competently mounted but lacks the emotional heft and sincerity of the original. It is obvious the film exists because Gadar 2 became a blockbuster and re-established Sunny Deol’s box office appeal through legacy sequels. And, of course, there is a renewed enthusiasm for anti-Pakistan movies.

One of the better aspects of the film is Varun Dhawan’s performance as Major Hoshiar Singh Dahiya.

Considering the amount of trolling he received before release, his work in Border 2 felt like a poetic response to those who refused to believe he could hold his own in a serious war drama, especially opposite a roaring Sunny Deol.

Which is ironic, because he already had films proving he could handle dramatic material with conviction. Varun rises impressively to the challenge here, delivering a performance that balances aggression and restraint according to the demands of the moment.

9. Citadel: Honey Bunny

Citadel: Honey Bunny marked Varun Dhawan’s OTT debut with a promise of going international with its connections to the American show, Citadel.

Sadly, in the larger universe Prime Video was attempting to create here, Citadel: Honey Bunny may no longer matter much, given the franchise’s dwindling fanbase.

Even among Raj & DK’s body of work, Honey Bunny ranks among their weaker efforts, if not the weakest. It is a fairly forgettable series that becomes overly self-serious after a point.

Still, what works is its attempt to create a reasonably competent spy thriller layered with a retro aesthetic, slick action set pieces, and committed performances from Varun Dhawan and Samantha Ruth Prabhu in both the emotional and action-heavy stretches.

8. Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania

After their successful debut together, which we will get to shortly, Varun and Alia Bhatt reunited for another Dharma production that turned out to be a breezy, colourful romcom.

Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania borrows quite liberally from Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, something the makers themselves cheekily acknowledged as a tribute.

What truly makes the film work is the effortless chemistry between Varun and Alia, the catchy soundtrack, and the light-hearted treatment. The film had also marked the big screen debut of the late actor Siddharth Shukla, then popular among the audiences for his role in the TV show Balika Vadhu.

7. Jugjugg Jeeyo

Jugjugg Jeeyo brings together Anil Kapoor, Neetu Kapoor, Varun Dhawan, Kiara Advani and Prajakta Koli under one dysfunctional family setup, exploring marriages strained by secrets, disappointments and scandals.

Like many Dharma family entertainers, the film is visually glossy and mounted on a lavish scale.

While the first half is merely decent, the second half grows considerably stronger thanks to its dramatic moments, particularly those involving Neetu Kapoor’s character reassessing her marriage and forcing her son and daughter-in-law to do the same.

The cast delivers solid performances, and one commendable aspect is that the film does not easily excuse marital infidelity. That alone feels refreshing.

6. Student Of The Year

Karan Johar’s fifth directorial venture is hardly profound cinema, and the film itself never pretends otherwise.

Student Of The Year is essentially a glossy, cheesy campus entertainer, and viewed purely as a guilty pleasure, it remains enormous fun, helped immensely by a terrific soundtrack, yes, even the kitschy Ishq Wala Love.

Of course, some aspects have aged rather poorly, including the over-sexualised presentation of teenage characters and the juvenile locker-room humour between the male leads. ‘Maine sau ladkiyon ke saath soya hai‘ still sounds cringe!

Even the championship competitions themselves often border on ridiculous.

Where the movie works surprisingly well is in depicting the pressure cooker environment created by school competition, fractured friendships and toxic parenting.

The (then) young cast, along with the senior actors, perform competently enough to hold everything together, and Karan Johar deserves credit for ensuring the film remains lively and entertaining throughout.

5. Sui Dhaaga

Sui Dhaaga rarely enters conversations about the best films in either Varun Dhawan’s or Anushka Sharma’s filmographies, except perhaps whenever that infamous Anushka crying meme resurfaces online.

Directed by Sharat Katariya, the film is admittedly uneven, and the writing in the latter half could have been tighter.

Still, this gentle family drama about lower-middle-class struggles succeeds through its rooted setting, reminiscent of the warm, humane storytelling associated with Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Basu Chatterjee’s era of cinema.

Both Varun and Anushka fit naturally into their parts and shine in the understated marital dynamics.

4. Badrinath Ki Dulhania

Varun Dhawan impresses in one of his more layered performances as Badrinath, the privileged yet flawed upper-caste ruffian trapped under his domineering father’s influence in Badrinath Ki Dulhania.

The actor does a credible job charting the character’s gradual moral awakening and redemption. Opposite him, Alia Bhatt is excellent as the fiercely independent heroine resisting patriarchal expectations.

Though the romantic arc occasionally compromises itself for the sake of a crowd-pleasing ending, the film remains an engaging coming-of-age entertainer that balances social commentary with mainstream appeal.

3. Bhediya

Bhediya may be the lowest grossing film within the Maddock horror-comedy universe, but this werewolf tale remains one of the franchise’s more under-rated entries.

Varun Dhawan is effective as the selfish fixer, who gets bitten by a werewolf and begins experiencing increasingly disturbing physical and psychological transformations.

The film blends humour and horror reasonably well, while Abhishek Banerjee steals several scenes as the protagonist’s cousin. The creature effects are surprisingly convincing too.

Varun later reprised the character through cameos in Stree 2, Munjya and Thamma, though a sequel centred around him isn’t on the anvil any time soon despite promises from the studio.

2. October

October, along with the next entry, served as Varun Dhawan’s response to critics who believed he could only excel in light-hearted entertainers.

The actor delivers a remarkably restrained and transformative performance as Dan, a hotel management intern who gradually becomes emotionally invested in caring for a comatose fellow trainee.

Shoojit Sircar’s slow-burn drama delicately explores relationships born out of the strangest circumstances between the unlikeliest of people.

It may not appeal to everyone because of its meditative pacing, but for those who surrender to its sensitive rhythm, October leaves behind a lingering emotional ache that is difficult to shake off.

1. Badlapur

In an era where audiences increasingly celebrate revenge fantasies drenched in violence, perhaps it is time to revisit Badlapur and appreciate what Sriram Raghavan was really saying through it.

Badlapur is a dark character study about the futility of vengeance and the moral decay that comes from nurturing hatred for too long, all while retaining traces of black humour.

Varun Dhawan is genuinely impressive as a grieving husband whose obsessive pursuit of revenge slowly strips away his humanity until he begins resembling the very monster he seeks to destroy.

Even then, he repeatedly finds himself upstaged by a phenomenal Nawazuddin Siddiqui, whose chameleonic performance remains one of the film’s greatest strengths.

Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff