Anushka Sharma and Varun Dhawan at Express Adda

The two actors will talk about their films and life in conversation with The Indian Express Deputy Editor Seema Chishti. Recent guests at the Adda have included Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, musician T M Krishna, ecologist Romulus Whitaker among others.

THEY COME from different spaces — one is from the industry, and the other an outsider — but what’s common to both is their willingness to experiment. Actors Varun Dhawan and Anushka Sharma have been on the frontier of a new movement in Hindi cinema, exploring fresh ideas and narratives, straddling the mainstream and the offbeat.

On Wednesday, Sharma and Dhawan will be the guests at the Express Adda in Mumbai. The Express Adda is a series of informal interactions organised by The Indian Express Group and features those at the centre of change. Sharma, who comes from an Army family and was a model before she joined films, made a splash with her vivacious turn opposite Shah Rukh Khan in Aditya Chopra’s Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008). She followed it up with her successful act as a Delhi wedding planner in Band Baaja Baaraat (2010), whose critical and commercial success consolidated her position in the industry.

Since then, she has delivered impressive performances in films such as PK (2014), Bombay Velvet (2015) and Sultan (2016). Sharma also set up her production house a few years ago and has produced and acted in the hard-hitting NH10 (2015), Phillauri (2017) and Pari (2018). The actor, who tied the knot with cricketer Virat Kohli last year, will be next seen in Sui Dhaaga and later in Zero.

Dhawan, whose father David Dhawan has directed many of Bollywood’s hit comic capers and is known for his successful partnership with Govinda, is one of the most prominent faces among young actors today. He made his debut in Karan Johar’s Student of the Year (2012) and went on to play an entire gamut of roles.

Starting his career in films as an assistant director on Johar’s My Name is Khan (2010), Dhawan is known for his comic timing and intense acting. He has delivered a series of hits in Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania (2014), Judwaa 2 (2017) and Badrinath Ki Dulhania (2017), making him a bankable name for directors and producers.

His performance as Raghu in Sriram Raghavan’s revenge drama Badlapur (2015) won him much critical acclaim. His latest film, the unusual love story, October, also won him rave reviews for essaying a complex character.

On Wednesday, the two actors will talk about their films and life in conversation with The Indian Express Deputy Editor Seema Chishti.

Recent guests at the Adda have included Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, musician T M Krishna, ecologist Romulus Whitaker, oncologist and author Dr Siddhartha Mukherjee, and actor Swara Bhasker.