Varun Sharma about reuniting with Pulkit Samrat in Rahu Ketu

Varun Sharma is stepping into the familiar world of comedies with Rahu Ketu. For company, the actor has his Fukrey co-star, Pulkit Samrat. As he reunites with one of his favourite co-actors, Sharma promises they will be a riot again in Vipul Vig’s directorial venture. “They say school friendships last a lifetime. This is our school friendship of sorts. Pulkit and I have been together since our nursery school days in the film industry,” he laughs.

Sharma and Samrat’s reunion invites comparisons with Fukrey, considering their respective characters, Choocha and Hunny, are widely popular. Did he have any fear of repetition? Sharma reflects, “When we started, there was a slight thought [of repetition]. But the world, concept, and the characters are completely different. If you love Fukrey 1, 2 and 3, if you love the Hunny-Choocha pairing and are coming with that expectation — yes, you’ll get that mazaa, but in a completely new world.”

(L-R) Pulkit Samrat and Varun Sharma in ‘Fukrey’

From the much-loved franchise to Chhichhore (2019), the actor has built his 13-year career largely on comic capers. He notes that in the past few years, out-and-out comedies have gone missing from theatres. “Apart from Madgaon Express [2024], there really hasn’t been an all-out comedy. I feel there is a void in the market that’s not being filled,” he shares. He rues that comedy is not taken seriously enough despite being one of Hindi cinema’s most popular genres. “Comedy is writing-driven, and it’s extremely tough to write punchlines. Something that I find funny, you might not. The writing has to resonate with people across the world, and the humour has to be compressed in two hours.”

Sharma hopes that Rahu Ketu, also starring Shalini Pandey, will resonate with a wide audience, given the subject’s cultural familiarity. According to him, the movie challenges long-held fears around astrology. “We’re always told Rahu and Ketu are negative, but they’re not. As conceived by Vipul sir, they are like your best friends, and it’s all about karma. If your karma is good, they reward you, and if it’s bad, the punishment comes to you 10 or 100 times over.”

What’s next?
Varun Sharma will be seen in another comedy, ‘Side Heroes’. Also starring Aparshakti Khurana (R) and Abhishek Banerjee, the film is produced by Imtiaz Ali