Prabhu Deva & Varun Dhawan Movies Together List — 3 Films

The shape of the work

The 2010s belonged to ABCD 2; the 2020s to Street Dancer 3D. Prabhu Deva acted in every film; Varun Dhawan acted in all of them.

Partnership facts

• Prabhu Deva was the one who personally called Varun Dhawan to offer him the lead in ABCD 2. Varun was shooting for Badlapur at the time and said yes without even reading the full script — he just trusted Prabhu Deva's vision for a dance film.
• On the sets of ABCD 2, Prabhu Deva would choreograph a routine and then ask Varun to add his own 'filmy' flair. Varun would throw in a wink or a shoulder pop, and Prabhu would laugh and keep it in the final cut. That mix of Prabhu's precision and Varun's spontaneity became the signature of their dance numbers.
• Their second film together, Street Dancer 3D, directly inspired a wave of dance reality shows in India that year. Two major TV networks launched new dance competition formats within six months of the film's release, both citing the film's 'street dance vs. classical' theme as their inspiration.
• During the shoot of ABCD 2, Varun Dhawan would secretly order biryani for the entire crew every Friday, but he told everyone it was from Prabhu Deva. Prabhu only found out two years later when a spotboy let it slip. He still jokes that Varun owes him 'credit for 50 biryanis'.
• Varun Dhawan once said about Prabhu Deva: 'He doesn't just teach you steps. He teaches you how to breathe in a dance number. I used to be out of breath after one take. He made me a dancer.'
• In Street Dancer 3D, Prabhu Deva deliberately gave Varun the most physically punishing solo dance sequence — a 4-minute continuous shot with no cuts. Prabhu's logic: 'If he can do this, the audience will believe he's a real street dancer.' Varun threw up after the third take but nailed it on the fifth.