The David Dhawan Film Festival is going on in PVR and to celebrate the legendary director, the multiplex chain organized a fireside chat. It involved David Dhawan talking about his life and films with his son, Varun Dhawan. Incidentally, both are also gearing up for the release of Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai. The comic caper will arrive in cinemas on June 5. David was his usual self and raised laughs while sharing anecdotes, especially about the origins of his name.

David Dhawan REVEALS his REAL name; also admits, “Mithun Chakraborty ragged me at FTII. His nickname was ‘Rana Raze The Sexy Craze’”

Varun Dhawan asked his father, “Because your name is David, a lot of my friends thought that my parents are Christian! I used to always wonder why my father’s name is David. Kisi ko samaj mein nahin aaya. Please tell everyone where you were born and why your over-the-top Punjabi parents call you David?”

David smiled and replied, “They didn’t call me David. There’s a history to it. I was born in Agartala. I was there with my parents, my brothers Anil and Ashok. My father’s elder brother, based in Kolkata, didn’t have a child. So, I was given to them!”

David Dhawan continued, “So, I stayed in Kolkata with them. A Jewish family resided in our neighbourhood. I used to hang out in their house. Their food was quite novel. Wahan se mera naam David pada. They started calling me David. It became my pet name. My actual name is Rajinder Dhawan!”

David then said, “During my admission in FTII (Film and Television Institute of India), my father told me, ‘You’ll be studying in the institute. You’ll graduate and then start working. You keep your name as David’. Accordingly, I changed my name.”

He added, “I regarded my chachi, the wife of my father’s elder brother, as my mother. She looked after me. I lived with them first in Kolkata and then in Lucknow. Later, she fell sick. I remember spending time with her during her last days. I thought she was my mother. I was just 3 years old when I shifted to Kolkata with her and my chacha. Later, I shifted to my parents. I don’t remember if I knew that they were my real parents or not.”

Varun then asked him about his vices. David replied, “I never liked smoking. But yes, I did drink. There’s no way that you study in FTII and don’t drink!”

He brought the house down as he revealed, “Shakti Kapoor was my senior there. Then, Mithun Chakraborty was my senior. He ragged me. His nickname was ‘Rana Raze The Sexy Craze’!”

He added, “Satish Shah was in my class. He was amazing. He was like our senior. Seniors couldn’t even rag him! He would dance or do anything that they would ask him to do. Rakesh Bedi was also my classmate.”

Also Read: David Dhawan reveals FASCINATING trivia: Taaqatwar’s ‘John D’Mello’ song inspired by ‘My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves’ and shot in the same hall; Shola Aur Shabnam’s first half inspired by Dil, second half by Ghayal!”