Varun Dhawan on coping with his driver Manoj's death: 'I began reading the Bhagavad Gita, Mahabharata, and Ramayana'
Actor Varun Dhawan opened up about his driver Manoj’s sudden death, how it impacted his career and how he found solace in the Bhagavad Gita and Ramayana
Bollywood actor Varun Dhawan recently got emotional as he reflected on the sudden death of his driver, Manoj, who had been with him for 26 years. Varun revealed that Manoj’s passing changed his outlook on life and pulled him out of the ‘bubble’ he had been living in.

In a recent conversation with Ranveer Allahbadia on his YouTube channel, Varun shared, “For the longest time, I was living in a bubble.” He admitted that he believed he understood life, but Manoj’s death altered his perspective completely. “There is a Varun Dhawan before and after 35,” he stated. Fighting back tears, Varun recalled, “I used to see myself in an idealistic way—that I’m a hero, and I can save the day because I literally play a hero onscreen. But on that day, I failed myself.”
Varun opened up about how close he was to Manoj, saying, “I was very close to Manoj, who was my driver for many years. He passed suddenly while we were working. I did CPR. We took him to Lilavati Hospital and we got him there on time. It was like we saved someone’s life. But he passed away in my arms. It was hard to see how casual was his passing. It just happened like that.”
The Baby John actor shared how deeply Manoj’s death impacted him, both personally and professionally. “If you see my work also became less. I am having a release after two years. Baby John is releasing in theatres after two years. It definitely hit me hard,” he said.
To cope with his grief, Varun turned to religious texts like the Ramayana and Bhagavad Gita. He explained, “I realised you have to move forward as a human being. These incidents shake you, but you can’t stay stagnant. I began reading the Bhagavad Gita, Mahabharata, and Ramayana—just randomly—because I had so many questions.”
Earlier, Varun had revealed that Manoj’s death occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic. Manoj had successfully recovered from Covid, but a week later, he suffered a fatal heart attack. “It affected me mentally so badly,” Varun shared in an interview with India Today.
Meanwhile, directed by Kalees, Baby John is off to a promising start in advance ticket sales, generating healthy anticipation among cinephiles. Starring Varun Dhawan and Keerthy Suresh, the film, according to a report in Pinkvilla, has already sold 15,000 advance tickets across major national chains, including PVRInox and Cinepolis, as of Monday. With its Christmas Day release approaching, the film is now aiming to reach 70,000 advance ticket sales by Tuesday night.
A significant boost in bookings is anticipated on Tuesday, fueled by the robust promotional campaign for Baby John. Despite the ongoing success of Pushpa 2, the film has secured strong showcasing in theaters, reflecting its solid momentum. Backed by Atlee’s production, Baby John is targeting an impressive ₹15 crore opening day. Following its debut, the next key milestone will be how the action-thriller sustains its performance during the New Year celebrations.
