Happy Birthday Varun!!!! Another year ahead of you, so many opportunities and decisions and exciting things coming your way. And I have Thoughts as to what you should do next.
My first wish: Marry Natasha!
First, because she seems to make you happy. But second, because marrying her will immediately change your public persona and freshen your image. And it will lead to new and different parts and producers begin to see you as more of a grown man instead of a little boy.
My second wish: do more smaller films!
This is two wishes, first do smaller films, and second do a lot of them! I think you have leaped to the “I only do big films slowly” level too soon, the public is forgetting your face and personality, you need to be out there more. I’m not talking arty films when I say “small”, just not movies that take 6 months to prepare and promote, and massive budgets. Fewer Kalanks and Judwaa 2s, more ABCD2s.
My third wish: work with younger heroines!
You have this great youthful energy onscreen, but you need a heroine who can match it. Too often I feel like I am seeing a mother and child, or big sister-little brother. No more Anushka, Jacqueline, Ileana, maybe even Alia. I want more Pari, Shraddha, or even newcomers that are just being launched. I don’t just mean “younger” in age, younger in career experience, younger in onscreen vibe, you need someone fun to play around with.
Okay, those are my wishes! What are your wishes for him?
dontcallitbollywood 
Oh, Varun! We enjoy you here at the Kaufman-Snyder ranch! You’re just YOU, not extra-self-aware like some actors. A nice balance of sweet and simple. Except that time when you tried to use Kalank to model yourself after Shah Rukh in Raees, but who wouldn’t. You’re Huxley’s second favorite actor.
We wish you would also do some more small roles where there’s some light comedy…romance…I’d like to see you more as the boy next door!
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Oh oh! I want that for Varun too! He needs more sweet small romances, Badrinath was a little too dark but still good, Dilwale and Humpty were just right, but ABCD2 and Street Dancer didn’t have nearly enough romance, and neither did Judwaa 2. Where is our nice average kind romantic little boy Varun version?
On Fri, Apr 24, 2020 at 12:30 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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To be fair I liked his character development in Badrinath but yes, too dark. Kill her? She shamed our family? Yet her sister married into the family so they’re our family now? But kill the sister in law?
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Yes! We couldn’t it have been the same movie, but lighter? Alia tricks him out of the dowry, he is just kind of embarrassed and sad, and decides to follow her all on his own even though his family doesn’t care that much. I would watch that! No deep meaning, just a broken engagement and a stolen dowry no one much cares about.
On Fri, Apr 24, 2020 at 1:28 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Isn’t it more or less the plot of Daawat-e-Ishq?
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Which is a great movie!
On Sat, Apr 25, 2020 at 2:51 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I’m piggybacking off of what Rachel said with some slight variation.
Basically, what I hope for him in general is another Humpty and/or another Dilwale. So to go broad, I also agree that he needs to do more romance, but simple romance, without all the bells and whistles. No Badrinath that’s trying to have a message at the same time. No Kalank that’s so big in scale and spectacle. Simple romance. Boy and girl meet, fall in love, have some shenanigans with their families and friends, and then get married. Low low stakes.
And yeah I agree with light comedy. His same character type from Dilwale but he’s the lead. Even a Judwaa 2 without all the sexism. Really, I want Varun to do more charming comedy that’s NOT directed by his father. Varun proved he’s SO good at comedy in Dilwale, and I don’t want him to have these great skills go to waste because they’re constantly overshadowed by the nepotism debate. Even Dishoom was directed by his brother! Maybe he needs to break out of the nepotism bubble entirely. I don’t know.
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So a light romance that’s not Dharma or Dhawan? that seems completely doable. Maybe he should try a Bhatt film. Or something with Anurag Kashyap. He would have been great in Rajkumar’s role in either Ek Ladki or Shimla Mirchi.
On Fri, Apr 24, 2020 at 8:26 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I have no problem with Dharma, Humpty was Dharma. I just feel like there are so many romances that are trying to be more than just romance, and the romance ends up getting lost in something else, like Badri and Kalank and even ABCD2. I think Varun’s best romances are just simply romances, nothing more than that.
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My Shraddha-Varun fake marriage between childhood best friends so she can take a London scholarship! I’m telling you, it’s the best plot.
On Fri, Apr 24, 2020 at 9:49 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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