The David Dhawan Film Festival is going on in PVR and to celebrate the legendary director, the multiplex chain organized a fireside chat. It involved David Dhawan talking about his life and films with his son, Varun Dhawan. Incidentally, both are also gearing up for the release of Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai. The comic caper will arrive in cinemas on June 5. Towards the end of the event, David Dhawan opened up about the hardships he faced and how actors sometimes declined to work with him.

David Dhawan said, “If a director’s film doesn’t work, toh actor usko dekh ke kahin aur muud jaayega. Actor ki jaat hi aisi hoti hai! Actor kisi ka saga nahin hai.” Varun was amused and also awkward, as he’s an actor. It also raised laughs.

David continued, “But there’s one actor I worked with who never bothered ki iski film chali ya nahin. That actor is Govinda. I remember once when my film didn’t work, I was upset. He told me, ‘Tu script likh na’! Then I wrote Shola Aur Shabnam (1992).”

Varun asked him, “Was there a time when you were not getting stars?” He replied, “Yes, I made Chashme Baddoor (2013). Bahut gusse mein banayi thi maine. Chintu ji (Rishi Kapoor) was there in the film as well. He told me, ‘I don’t have a role’. I replied, ‘Aap karo, yaar’! He did it for me (smiles).”

Varun then asked, “Did you face rejection from some actors?” David explained, “No, but I could feel it. They were hesitating. I wanted to get out of that rut of stars, which was difficult. When one is able to write a good script and get good songs, then that person can make a film with newcomers.”

Chashme Baddoor starred Ali Zafar, Divyenndu and Siddharth. It marked the debut of Taapsee Pannu in Hind cinema.