To a question Varun Dhawan says before Main Tera Hero, I used to think it is my mom who I loved more as I have spent my entire life with her due to my dad being so busy. But the health scare that happened during the shooting of Main Tera Hero in Bangkok, where I almost thought I lost him, is when I realised how much I love my dad. I have heard of him not being unwell before too, but every time, my mom had been there.
While shooting in Bangkok, it was for the first time that I was alone with him with all the cast members when it happened. He had gone to the gym to see the location when he fell and hurt his throat and knee and was in bad pain, thinking he broke it but nothing happened. We went to the hospital and the doctor told him to sleep. My father said he is fine to me and I assumed that since he said he is fine, means he is fine. So he started shooting and by lunch break, I see that he is having some tablets, with one of his very close assistant directors Umesh rubbing his legs as he was feeling ill. I entered the set and said, 'Pa what happened? Why don't you sleep?' And I started rubbing his hands.
He looked at me and said, 'I am going' three times and he sank. He just passed out. It happened for 10 seconds and I remember each second of it. Everyone on the set was staring at us and there was not a soul who moved. Everyone thought he had died, including myself. I kept thinking in my mind that it had also happened because of me as I didn't take it seriously and I kept thinking my father can't go, my father can't go, my father can't go. In my reflex, I put my hand into his mouth, separating his jaw. He immediately puked and came back. It all happened within a few seconds. I started shouting, screaming, abusing everyone on the set to get the ambulance. I was hysterical. We picked up my father and brought him to his room.
The shot had been set up and he told me, 'Go give the shot, the assistant director knows what to do.' I lost it and nearly broke something in the room. I said, 'I can't shoot like this' but he was adamant and he said, 'There is money put behind you and you need to shoot.' I said, 'I will give the little money I have made, but I cannot shoot.' But he insisted and I left him to give my shot. I called up my mother after three hours and that is when I eventually broke down on the phone. She and my brother Rohit then came to Bangkok. He had had what you call a diabetic coma and it happens when your blood sugar goes low and his heart showed signs of irregularity. So he has to take care.
He is obsessed with filmmaking, but I don't wish for any child to see this happening to their father. The doctors later told me that he was choking so when he vomited, he became okay. He was in the hospital for just one night and reached the set at 12 the next day. His first AD Umesh said, 'I know him and you see he will come sharp at 12.' Like a special appearance, he walked into the set in 48 frames. I can laugh at it now, but frankly I was not impressed by him that time at all. I am very attached to him, but became more after this incident. I am lucky as I feel this is his second life. You love someone more when you lose someone once. For a month after this incident, I couldn't sleep.
