On Varun Dhawan’s birthday, here's a look at the beloved Bollywood star’s popular roles

Student of the Year (2012)

Dhawan made his on-screen debut in this Karan Johar directorial, along with fellow debutants Sidharth Malhotra and Alia Bhatt. The film, which can be streamed on Netflix, follows the story of three popular high school students.

Main Tera Hero (2014)

A remake of the 2011 Telugu film Kandireega, Main Tera Hero revolves around the story of Seenu and Sunaina, whose love story is made complicated by the presence of Sunaina’s trigger happy ex-fiance and when Seenu gets an admirer in the form of a gangster’s daughter. The film stars Nargis Fakhri, Dhawan and Ileana D'Cruz. It can be streamed on Jio Cinema, Amazon Prime Video and ZEE5.

Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania (2014)

Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania sees Dhawan reunite with his Student of the Year co-star Alia Bhatt. The film follows the story of a Punjabi girl named Kavya who meets a charming young man Rakesh, during her visit to Delhi to buy herself a wedding dress. As the two get to know each other, sparks fly. The film is available on Netflix.

Dilwale (2015)

Starring Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Dhawan, and Kriti Sanon, this film follows the story of Raj and Meera, the children of rival gang-leaders, who must face their tumultuous past when their siblings fall in love with each other. Dilwale can be streamed on Apple TV.

Badrinath Ki Dulhania (2017)

Starring Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan, Badrinath Ki Duhania is directed by Shashank Khaitan. The film follows the story of a rich man, Badri, who falls in love with a spirited young woman named Vaidehi who aspires to become a flight attendant. As he makes it his life’s mission to marry her, Vaidehi has other plans for what she wants to do with her life. The film can be watched on Voot and Amazon Prime Video.

Badlapur (2015)

Badlapur marked one of Dhawan’s first action-thriller films. Directed by Sriram Raghavan, the film is based on the novel Death's Dark Abyss by Massimo Carlotto. Starring Dhawan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Huma Qureshi and Yami Gautam, the film opened to positive reviews and can be streamed on Jio Cinema.

October (2018)

Directed by Shoojit Sircar, October revolves around the story of a man who dedicates himself to taking care of his comatose colleague. Starring Dhawan and Banita Sandhu, the film can be streamed on Amazon Prime Video.

Coolie No. 1 (2020)

Dhawan’s last starring role came in this 2020 comedy, which was directed by his father David Dhawan. The film follows the story of a coolie who poses as a wealthy man to get married to a rich man’s daughter. Starring Dhawan and Sara Ali Khan, the film premiered on Amazon Prime Video.

Special appearance in Antim: The Final Truth (2021)

Dhawan also made a special appearance in Salman Khan’s film, Antim: The Final Truth, in the song Vighnaharta. The film can be watched on ZEE5.

Upcoming films

Some of Dhawan’s upcoming releases include Karan Johar’s Jug Jugg Jeeyo, which is set to release June 24, the horror-comedy Bhediya, which is scheduled for November 25, and Bawaal, which is slated to hit theatres on April 7, 2023.