David Dhawan: I Avoid Working with Those Who Can't Get Along

On the 15th of August, it had been only six years since the country gained independence, that is, it was the year 1951 when a new guest was born in a Punjabi family settled in Agartala, Tripura. He was named – Rajinder Dhawan.

Dhawan family shifted to Kanpur with their two children Anil and Rajendra Dhawan and here a Jewish aunty living in the neighborhood started calling this little Rajinder Dhawan as 'David'. Why so? Because the name of that Jewish lady's son was David who was a very good friend of Rajendra. Seeing the friendship between these two, the aunty considered both of them as her sons and used to call both of them by the name David many times. The name David instead of Rajinder suited the boy so much that everyone in the family started calling him David and when he grew up, he started being called David Dhawan. But David did not get the title of King of Comedy just like that. He studied in the famous college of Kanpur, Christchurch but his eyes were always towards Mumbai. There was a valid reason for this. His brother Anil Dhawan had become a well-known name in the films, so whenever David got a chance, he used to go to Mumbai. Even if he got a five-day leave, his destination would be Mumbai. David was probably made for the film line. When his family came to know about this, they got him admitted to the Film and Television Institute of India.

David, like his brother, had also gone there with the idea of ​​becoming an actor but when he saw his friends acting, he realized that acting would be a tough job for him. But what to do? There was only one thought in his mind that he had to enter the film line somehow. When David was filling out the form for the institute, he saw an option of editing and he immediately chose to become an editor instead of an actor. In this institute, his classmates were famous writer Rumi Jafri, bindaas actor Satish Shah, and television's most comic actor Rakesh Bedi. David's classes were at 7 in the morning and actors had to join the classes at 9. But David would wake up in the morning and start singing loudly in 'Raag Jhinjhor' as per Satish Shah. Meaning, he would sing anything at full volume in such a tuneless voice that his voice would wake up even the sleeping students. Satish Shah jokingly says, “It also worked as an alarm for us.”

After passing FTII, when they all reached Mumbai, Rakesh Bedi shifted to the same paying guest room with David Dhawan. Once Rakesh Bedi had to go for an audition for a film called 'Ehsaas'. He did not have any proper clothes. So he quietly took out David Dhawan's new T-shirt and went wearing it. Luckily the audition went well and he got the role. But while eating at one place, daal (lentils) fell on the T-shirt. Rakesh Bedi got scared, he quietly put the T-shirt back without washing or cleaning it. The next day when David opened the cupboard and wore the T-shirt, he got very angry seeing the marks of daal on it and created a ruckus in the entire PG. Now Rakesh Bedi also quietly told the truth that he had gone wearing that T-shirt and daal had fallen from him. Now what could David do, the mistake had to happen and it had happened. But David shook Rakesh Bedi from head to toe in anger and Rakesh started laughing and thus the heated argument of two minutes passed off into laughter and fun. David got a lot of editing work in the film industry. He edited not two or four but 60 films in ten years. Among them were Sanjay Dutt's 'Naam', Jaan Ki Baazi, Mera Haq', etc. which were big hits. But after ten years David started feeling that he should also direct. But who would trust a new director? However in these ten years, David became a well-known name in the film industry

Sanjay Dutt started supporting. The friendship between the two editors and the actor bore fruit and a film called Taktawar was released under the production of Bholi Jagdish Raj in which Govinda was cast as the second lead. Govinda says that in those days he had about 50 films to do. But still, he could not refuse David and they became friends on the sets of Taktawar. This friendship lasted such that they have done 18 films together till now. However, the film could not work out as their friendship did and not only Taktawar, David Dhawan's first three films released in 1989 - Aag Ka Gola, Taktaar, and Goola Barood proved to be complete flops. A rumor started in the industry that David can only do editing, direction is not his cup of tea. But in 1990, David released another film reviving Rajesh Khanna and then pairing up with Govinda. This film was Swarg. This film made both David Dhawan and Govinda super-duper hits. From here on, David never looked back. After this, whether it was Shola Aur Shabnam with Govinda or Bol Radha Bol with Rishi Kapoor, Yaarana with Madhuri Dixit, or Coolie No. 1 with Karisma, every year every film became a superhit at the box office. Believe me, the pair of Govinda and David Dhawan ruled the film industry in the 90s. But along with Govinda, David also gave many superhit comedy films with Anil Kapoor, in which action drama comedy Loafer, Deewana Mastana, Andaaz, Gharwali-Baharwali, etc. were very big hits. David Dhawan especially loved that period when his film Bol Radha Bol was below average in the first three days of its release, but from Monday onwards, the film gained such a pace that it proved to be a silver jubilee. Whereas if you ask today's David, now only the first three days are important in cinema. If the first weekend goes well, then understand that everything is fine. But even today he makes his film after thinking about it for at least two weeks.

If David is to be believed, his beginning was by watching Manmohan Desai's films. He also tries to give complete entertainment in his films like Manmohan Desai. Perhaps that is why his first film Takkar seems similar to Amar Akbar Anthony. David has also been a fan of classic director Hrishikesh Mukherjee. Inspired by his films, he made Hero Number One with Govinda which was somewhat inspired by the film Bawarchi.

David Dhawan has worked a lot with Pahlada Nihalani, and Vashu Bhagnani also considers him a partner in his progress. Vashu Bhagnani openly says that there can be no other director like David. David Dhawan also believes that if a producer has come into the business just to earn money, then I don't want to work with him. A producer should be someone who has an interest in films. One who can put his dedication into the film. David Dhawan is not only a producer, every actor does not hesitate to take input from stars. He believes that there should be good creativity, why would I have an ego? I just want to make good cinema. David Dhawan has not narrated the screenplay in front of any actor till date. He believes that if you take the film scene by scene, then the whole film becomes completely entertaining. In this matter, David Dhawan respects Govinda a lot. It is said that "Govinda is such a complete actor that even if you give him a dirty scene, he will remove the dirt from it while rehearsing and make a fresh scene." 

Whereas Govinda and Sanjay Dutt jokingly say that David is so fond of eating that even though the shoot starts later on the set, his food starts earlier. David is so fond of eating that he leaves all other work and focuses on eating first. Not only this, when he used to live in a one-bedroom hall flat and used to do editing, Sanjay Dutt was also present with him during editing and his wife Karuna aka Laali used to bring something to eat. 

Remembering that period, David says that Govinda, Salman, and Sanju Baba, these people are like family. I don't give them any narration or variation. I just explain the scenes to them and they do the rest themselves. Years later, when David Dhawan made 'Main Tera Hero' for his son Varun, critics questioned him many times as to why he was trying to make Varun also Govinda. 

On this, David Dhawan innocently said, “Hey, I don't do this deliberately. What can I do? After doing 18 films, Govinda is also inside me. Every scene comes out of my mind thinking about him. However, Varun also walks with body language like Salman Khan. He has a good physique. David may have done 18 out of 44 films of his career with Govinda, but he has also made 8 films each with Salman and Sanjay Dutt, most of which have been successful. When David was asked if you have been in the industry for so long, you had such an understanding of cinema, yet why didn't you become a producer yourself, David replied, “I can't have someone come crying to me that I didn't get money, I didn't get my payment. Or my cheque is stuck, I didn't get this or that, I am very happy with my work, I am respected. I like this module.” 

David Dhawan has been making films with Varun Dhawan only for the past four years (Main Tera Hero, Judwaa 2, Coolie No. 1). But even today all the Bollywood actors, especially Johnny Lever, Rajpal Yadav, his friends Satish Shah, Satish Kaushik, etc. love him a lot and agree to work on his voice.

Regarding the script, in his third film, his son Varun Dhawan had once mistakenly said, “Please tell me the script, what is it?” to which David rebuked him, “Now he wants the script, I have never narrated the script to Govinda or Sanjay Dutt, will I narrate it to you?”

David Dhawan never received any major award in his 30 years long career but when during a TV show little Varun Dhawan came and said in front of everyone that "My father is the best, I am inspired by him and I wish that I get the same father and mother in every birth", David's eyes became moist and he said smilingly, "There is no bigger award than this in the world, apart from this I don't want any other award". On behalf of Mayapuri, best wishes to the King of Comedy David Dhawan on his birthday 

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