Varun Dhawan, who debuted in Bollywood 10 years ago with Karan Johar’s Student of the Year, is gearing for his next film, Bhediya, a creature comedy directed by Amar Kaushik that will release on November 25. At the film’s trailer launch in Mumbai, Varun, who plays a werewolf in Bhediya, looked back at the efforts that went into the making of the film and his decade-long journey as an actor.

How challenging was this role for you?

Varun Dhawan: The first thing that Amar Kaushik told me was that I wouldn’t be doing any comedy in this film. I kept asking him for punch lines but he was firm with his no. He told me that if I do comedy, people won’t take me seriously in this film. So, all credit to Amar for my performance. I hope it lives up to his expectations. He has very high standards for performance. Before this, he worked with Rajkummar Rao and Ayushmann Khurrana, who are very good actors. I hope I live up to that.

How did you prepare for this role?

Varun Dhawan: More than my physicality, Amar wanted my voice to sound slightly different. The transformation started with growing this beard. We didn’t know to what extent it would grow. Secondly, I trained for animal flow for a couple of months for this role. Other than that, it’s all Amar telling me beat by beat what to do and what not to do. Of course, I gave my input too. But I got to learn a lot from this film.

Is it a conscious effort to do films like Badlapur, October and now Bhediya in between masala films?

Varun Dhawan: It comes from the kind of person that I am. I am a pretty random person. I think most of us are random but we don’t admit it. I always wanted to work with Amar. So, my belief was always in Amar and Dinoo (producer Dinesh Vijan). Dinoo had only told me a one-liner about the film. I was excited to start the film at the earliest. And things just fell into place. I don’t want to take any credit for it. The divine makes these things happen. I truly believe that there’s a spiritual connection with this film.

How did you keep a straight face when your Bhediya co-actors Deepak Dobriyal and Abhishek Banerjee were around with their funny one-liners?

Varun Dhawan: I would laugh like crazy. We are Akshay Kumar fans. So, before doing any scene, Abhishek and I would do that scene as if we were Akshay Kumar. And not many people know about Paalin, but he is an amazing singer and is very good at mimicry as well.

How do you look back at your decade-long journey in the industry? And can you place us on the night before the release of Student of the Year?

Varun Dhawan: I probably didn’t sleep that night. At 7-7.30am, my father woke up before anyone else. Before going to any big launch or event, my mom makes me pray at the small temple at our home and feeds me something sweet before I leave for the event. There are always butterflies, excitement as well as nervousness, even before coming for this launch, I was like that. So, nothing much has changed.

What has been the biggest learning from your journey so far?

Varun Dhawan: I always kept my ears open to hear what the audience was trying to tell me. I am always trying to grow. There was a time when I used to think arrogantly that everything is just working fine so why should I care? There’s always room to do something better. But at the same time, I should not run myself down too. Now I want to enjoy whatever success Jugjugg Jeeyo brought and what Bhediya might bring. I did a film like Bhediya because I listened to the audience’s voice. I have done films where the VFX was cringe-worthy. I want to work with directors and producers who can bring that improvement. I feel a certain responsibility.