Varun Dhawan. Pic/Satej Shinde

Five years into Bollywood, Varun Dhawan has already earned a place for himself. In an industry that chooses to separate its stars from actors, many find him the perfect combination of the two. Eight-film-old Dhawan has successfully straddled commercial hits with serious, gritty films that bring his acting prowess to the fore.

But Dhawan says the tag of ‘star’ sits heavy on his shoulders. Speaking at the Jagran Cinema Summit held in the city yesterday, the actor said, “The term star is totally misused today. I think the media makes anyone a star these days.”

He agreed that many from the current crop of actors, including himself, enjoy a wide fan following across the country. But he stated that it can’t be the only barometer to judge one’s stardom. “There is a difference between liking someone and being mad about someone. You need mass hysteria to be a superstar. From Rajesh Khanna to Amitabh Bachchan, and even Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan — these are real stars. This is a tag that we should not give away too easily.”

According to the youngster, a person “whose film works in the single screens as well as at multiplexes” is a star. Not one to be deluded by the fan frenzy that surrounds him, Dhawan said, “People always love us when we are at public events. They are hooting and whistling, but this doesn’t translate into box-office success. I don’t think people who come to see you at events always come and watch your film.”

Dhawan also brought up how the young generation of actors often gets rattled by criticism. “The millennials are shaken if they are criticised. Actors today are going under depression and battling anxiety,” he said, adding that social media aggravates the situation.

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