David Dhawan is officially stepping back behind the camera at 74, but the veteran director is using his highly anticipated 2026 return to settle a few old industry scores. Ahead of the June 5 release for his upcoming comedy Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai, Dhawan dropped a surprisingly blunt confession about the casting drama behind one of his biggest modern hits.
The Bollywood icon admitted his 2013 remake of Chashme Baddoor was born entirely out of frustration with the industry’s top talent. During his recent promotional tour, Dhawan confessed his decision to pivot away from established A-listers happened because the actors kept stalling his calls.
“I was not getting stars. They didn’t reject the film but they were hesitating,” Dhawan said.
That hesitation pushed Dhawan to cast a younger, relatively unproven lineup at the time featuring Ali Zafar, Siddharth, Divyendu Sharma, and Taapsee Pannu. The gamble paid off, turning the comedy into a commercial success that proved the director didn’t need bankable superstars to pull an audience.
Now, he is betting on family for what might be his final act. Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai is Dhawan’s first directorial project since 2020’s Coolie No. 1, and his fourth major collaboration with his son, Varun Dhawan. The younger Dhawan openly praised his father’s unwavering conviction to return to the set at age 74 despite the highly volatile box office climate currently gripping Indian cinema.
The emotional weight of the project is already triggering intense industry chatter. Filmmaker Karan Johar recently posted an emotional tribute online that sparked widespread speculation regarding Dhawan’s future, leading fans to wonder if this upcoming release will act as his official retirement from filmmaking.