David Dhawan on convincing Rishi Kapoor to do Ali Zafar and Siddharth starrer 'Chashme Baddoor' despite no role: 'Aap karo, yaar'

Veteran filmmaker David Dhawan recently got candid about a difficult phase in his career during a special interaction held as part of the David Dhawan Film Festival at PVR. The director, accompanied by his son Varun Dhawan, opened up about dealing with industry insecurities, actors distancing themselves after failures and how that frustration eventually pushed him to make ‘Chashme Baddoor’.The father-son duo is currently also preparing for the release of their upcoming comedy entertainer ‘Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai’, which is scheduled to hit cinemas on June 5.During the conversation, David Dhawan spoke honestly about how the film industry changes its behaviour when a director delivers a flop. Sharing his observations, he said, “If a director’s film doesn’t work, toh actor usko dekh ke kahin aur muud jaayega. Actor ki jaat hi aisi hoti hai! Actor kisi ka saga nahin hai.” (If a director’s film doesn’t work, actors will simply look at him and move elsewhere. That’s just how actors are! Actors don’t truly belong to anyone.)The filmmaker then recalled how Govinda remained supportive during one of the lowest phases of his career. Unlike many others in the industry, the actor never distanced himself after a film underperformed. David shared, “But there’s one actor I worked with who never bothered ki iski film chali ya nahin. That actor is Govinda. I remember once when my film didn’t work, I was upset. He told me, ‘Tu script likh na’!” That encouragement eventually led David Dhawan to work on the 1992 comedy-drama ‘Shola Aur Shabnam’.When Varun Dhawan asked his father if there was ever a phase when he struggled to cast major stars, David admitted that such a period did exist. Speaking about the remake of ‘Chashme Baddoor’, the filmmaker confessed that the project came from a place of frustration. “Yes, I made ‘Chashme Baddoor’ (2013). Bahut gusse mein banayi thi maine (I made it in a lot of anger),” he revealed.David also fondly remembered convincing late actor Rishi Kapoor to join the film despite his concerns about screen time. Recalling the interaction, the director said, “Chintu ji was there in the film as well. He told me, ‘I don’t have a role’. I replied, ‘Aap karo, yaar’! He did it for me.”Varun further questioned whether actors had openly rejected his films during that period. David clarified that while he may not have faced direct refusals, hesitation from actors was clearly visible. “No, but I could feel it. They were hesitating,” he explained.The director also admitted that he wanted to break away from depending entirely on big stars and instead focus on strong storytelling and music. According to him, a filmmaker with a solid script and hit songs can successfully launch films with fresh faces.Released in 2013, ‘Chashme Baddoor’ featured Ali Zafar, Divyendu Sharma and Siddharth in lead roles. The romantic comedy also marked the Hindi film debut of Taapsee Pannu, who later became one of Bollywood’s leading ladies.