Stardom of Khans, Akshay and Ajay tough to achieve now, says Varun Dhawan

He is touted as one of the most popular young actors in Bollywood, but Varun Dhawan believes it is hard for the new generation to achieve the kind of stardom Aamir, Salman and Shah Rukh Khan enjoy.

The 29-year-old actor says due to extreme exposure on social media there is no ‘mystery’ about the celebrities and people are constantly looking for change.

“The kind of stardom Salman, Shah Rukh, Aamir or even Akshay and Ajay enjoy is hard to achieve now. I feel it is partly because of the social media. The mystery is not there anymore. There is a lot of exposure. Today people don’t have patience, they move on very fast,” said Varun.

The star says these days the actors have to compete not only with their Bollywood contemporaries, but also with Hollywood stars.

“We are not only competing with people in Bollywood. Audience today is enjoying global cinema and it makes it more difficult to make a mark. I am also trying to work very hard. Things are going good as of now, but I don’t want to take success or failure too seriously and just keep working.”

The actor says he does gain something as a performer after every project, but prefers to get back to basics as soon as possible.

“I find it difficult to judge my growth as an actor because every time I feel I have learned something, I try to relearn and go back to the basics. I don’t want to be ‘the know-it-all’. There is no fun in it as the fun is in discovering and being raw.”

Varun also believes studying filmmaking and acting enhances an actor’s skills while performing.

“Studying acting and doing classes helps. Watching films and reading about acting also helps. Actors can be good if they are rich in experiences. To go out and experience life and emotions is very important.”

Varun also has plans to direct in future, but is currently happy with the amount of work he has as an actor.

“I understand the filmmaking technically. I wouldn’t rule out directing someday. But right now, my hands are full with acting and it is a hands-on profession and very difficult. My passion for acting right now is too high to look at anything else,” he says.

Varun has two major projects--Judwaa 2 with father David Dhawan and an intense film with Shoojit Sircar.

Talking about Judwaa 2 the actor says, “We have shot for a week for Judawaa 2 and it was easy-breezy. But it is different to be with David Dhawan on the set than at home.

“He is my father and more than that he is a renowned filmmaker. He knows his game perfectly. He is tougher on the sets. I fully get my share of scoldings and probably the most than all other actors.”

The actor didn’t give out any details about his movie with Shoojit and said the project is “unusual” and he feels lucky to be working with a filmmaker.