He told Bollywood Hungama: "I had never thought that Karan Johar would launch me. Leave aside him launching me; I had never even imagined working with him in my lifetime.

"It was during my earlier years of finding my way into Hindi films when one of my Aunt's words reverberated in my mind. She is a Buddhist and told me that if you really want something, ask for it with a clean heart and you would get it. Guess that did indeed pay off for me."

Dhawan is rumoured to be replacing Shahid Kapoor in a new project directed by Maneesh Sharma. The newcomer and his co-stars Alia Bhatt and Siddharth Malhotra met with UK fans on October 2 for a promotional event.