Varun Dhawan Says Ranbir Kapoor Makes Him Feel Ashamed as a Dad

Varun Dhawan’s recent stop on Koffee With Karan 9 has given fans a tender, funny glimpse of Bollywood fatherhood. Appearing with Janhvi Kapoor, the actor opened up about his daughter Lara and admitted he feels a little inadequate next to Ranbir Kapoor.

The confession that has everyone talking

When the conversation turned to parenthood, Varun did not pretend that everything is picture-perfect. He described Ranbir as an amazing father and added that seeing him in that role makes Varun feel “really ashamed” — even though he believes he is a good dad himself.

“He is so good as a father that I feel like, really ashamed!”

Varun was speaking to Karan Johar, who looked surprised when the actor mentioned that he and Lara have regular arguments. For someone who has just stepped into fatherhood, Varun’s honesty was refreshing.

A two-year-old with one song on repeat

The big reveal was the subject of those father-daughter arguments. Lara, Varun said, is stuck on one Michael Jackson song. The actor keeps suggesting that she explore more of the pop icon’s catalogue, but Lara is not ready to move. In other words, the aux cord is firmly in a two-year-old’s hands.

A full-circle moment for Student of the Year

Karan Johar pointed out that his Student of the Year debutants have all entered a new stage. Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt and Sidharth Malhotra are now parents. Varun recalled that Alia had said during the shoot around 2012 that she wanted to be a mother someday, and the three of them still share a warm bond.

What this tells fans about star parenting

It would be easy for a celebrity to keep the spotlight on the glamorous side of family life. Instead, Varun’s comment landed because it was self-deprecating and specific. A dad feeling second-best, a toddler refusing to expand her playlist — these are moments that most parents recognise immediately.

Ranbir and Alia married in April 2022 and welcomed Raha in November 2022. Their first public appearance with Raha came on Christmas 2023.

Ranbir’s next chapters are already on the calendar

Fans who cannot get enough of Ranbir have two major releases to track:

• Ramayana Part 1 — directed by Nitesh Tiwari, releasing in theatres on November 5, 2026; Part 2 is expected around Diwali 2027.
• Love & War — with Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal, arriving on March 20, 2027.

Ramayana also features Sai Pallavi as Sita, Yash as Ravana, Sunny Deol as Hanuman and Ravi Dubey as Lakshman, with music by AR Rahman and Hans Zimmer. The two-part project is reportedly made on a budget of Rs 4,000 crore.

Source: The Times of India