Laugh out loud with Varun Sharma

From Chandigarh to Mumbai, Bollywood's 'Chucha' talks about his latest weekend release

He is just 13 films old and has already carved a niche for himself in Bollywood. When his debut film 'Fukrey' (2013) went on to become a sleeper hit, his screen name 'Chucha' too became a popular household name overnight.

Actor Varun Sharma is once again all set to tickle the funny bone in his new release, 'Chhichhore'.

The cast also includes Sushant Singh Rajput, Shraddha Kapoor and Prateik Babbar.

Showtime caught up with the actor just before the film's release.

Varun is donning the character of Sexa, the 'porn king' who arranges magazines and CDs for his hostel friends. "Everyone comes to him for only for one thing. This quirky part of him is probably found in every friend's group.”

So is it the same comic version of Varun that we'll see here too?

“This is the first time where I am playing a 20-year-old and a middle-aged man. There is a lot of change in mannerism and introspection of my role. While I am trying to make people laugh. There is a lot more to Sexa,” he says.

'Chhichhore' is his second film with Sushant Singh Rajput. The duo last worked together in 'Raabta' (2017).

Recalling his experience of working with the actor, Varun says, “We had a lot of fun on the sets. We have known each other for a long time now and are good friends. The bond made it easier for us to work.”

Varun completed a course on filmmaking in Chandigarh and came to Mumbai in 2011. He started assisting in movies like ‘Talash’, ‘Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu’, ‘Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani’ and ‘Student of the Year’.

“While I used to take auditions, I took cues for my round of auditions too. When ‘Fukrey’ happened, life shifted from auditions to narrations.”

But his path to success wasn’t a bed of roses. In fact, he faced a lot of rejections and delays. However, that didn’t stop Varun; it only made him stronger.

"I remember suddenly jumping on the bed and dancing to 'Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein' from ‘Baazigar’. I went up to my mother and told her that I want to become an actor. I waited until I was in college to follow my passion. It was Shah Rukh sir’s character in the film that inspired me to take the bold step,” says Varun.

As he's primarily acted in comedy films, his name has become synonymous with 'comedy hero'. He doesn't seem to be affected by that tag as he feels that the art of making someone laugh or smile is a big one.

“For any actor to get offers for comedy films on a regular basis that has a good banner and script is a very big deal. I love doing comedy and enjoy making people laugh. I am not scared of being typecast. I've been accepted and loved for it. Having said that, I will also try other things while pursuing this. Hopefully, people will see me in a different light soon.”

‘Chucha’ being his most loved character, Varun says that there have been times when his fans addressed him by the same name even in real life. “When I was shooting for ‘Roohi Afza’ last month in Rudki, there were around 5,000 people calling out my name. No, not my real name; they were screaming 'Chucha'. It felt very nice, you know? I even uploaded a video of it on social media.”

On the work front, Varun is currently shooting for ‘Roohi Afza’, directed by Hardik Mehta and produced by Dinesh Vijan and Mrigdeep Lamba. The movie also stars Rajkumar Rao and Jahnvi Kapoor. This is the first time, Varun will be seen working on a horror-comedy. The film is set to release early next year.