Varun Badola: 'When you don't have work there is no struggle' | Exclusive

Varun Badola Pic/Instagram

Actor Varun Badola, who rose to fame as the heartthrob Dev Malik from the television show ‘Des Mein Niklla Hoga Chand' is currently seen in Amazon MiniTV's show ‘Jamnapaar'. He speaks exclusively to mid-day.com about work opportunities for actors his age, the best advice he's received from his father, and more.

Varun had a steady acting career on television with shows like Kutumb, Ladies Special, Mann Kee Awaaz Pratigya, and Mere Dad Ki Dulhan among others. He moved to the OTT space and did web series like ‘Guns & Gulaabs' and ‘Kohrra'. When asked if actors of his caliber can find substantial work in showbiz, Varun responds, "I think there are. They are only growing by the day. And yes, there was a time when a lot of actors were dissolved and were probably sitting at home, the opportunities were pretty hard to come by, but then thanks to the OTT platforms and this resurgence, things have changed."

He adds, "When you don't have work there is no struggle. However, when you get work, that's where the struggle begins. Because you need to work in a way that people call you again. If you need to extend your validity you have to keep reinventing yourself and show honesty. This is the best time for actors. All the big actors in the industry are not below 35 years of age. To play a character you need life experience. You cannot achieve a well-rounded personality in your 30s. You have to go through a certain grind to get there. A lot of actors my age are completely ready raw materials to be used."

Looking back at his childhood and how he steered towards acting as a career, Varun recalls, "My mother had big dreams to try and get me into the defence academy. I come from Uttarakhand and for the longest time, defence services were the only option. And a lot of people went to the defence. They thought, if nothing else, they'd be able to see their son in the uniform. But then, I think my father knew better. So much so that, I once asked him, I used to sing, my father was a brilliant singer. ‘Why didn't you teach us?' The three of us, brother and sister. And he very honestly told me, ‘Son, there was nothing for the three of you to learn. If there was, I would have taken you personally for lessons. I realized that he was right."

"Everyone is not meant to do everything. I was not made for science or economics. It's not like a person not taking science or maths is a failure in life. It is decided much in the future. If everyone is a doctor then who will fall ill? My father was very supportive. Although his first condition was to try and do things yourself. He told me to not expect him to use his good office to get work and that whatever hurdles I would face would be my luck. I think that was the best piece of advice that he gave me because even in the face of adversity I know I would hold my own. So, it was more about personality development rather than becoming successful in terms of earning money. That was never the aim, never the goal," he adds.