The actor made the suggestion on Karan Johar’s Koffee With Karan Season 9, joking that the two had the kind of tension that could have taken their 2012 film in a very different direction. Varun Dhawan has a pick for a Bollywood version of Heated Rivalry , and it is none other than his Student of the Year co-star Sidharth Malhotra . Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor were the guests on the third episode of the final season, along with Arjun Kapoor as special guest.
Heated Rivalry premiered in India on Lionsgate Play in February 2026 in English and Hindi. With the series finding a huge global audience, the actors are now filming the second season, which is scheduled to release in 2027. If things fall into place, this will be the actor’s first collaboration with YRF since the 2018 slice-of-life drama Sui Dhaaga, which also starred Anushka Sharma.
Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie play the two hockey stars, and the series has become a massive hit, turning both actors into breakout stars and bringing them a level of fame that has grown well beyond the show. Varun is reportedly in talks to star in Yash Raj Films’ first-ever horror feature film, directed by Abhay Pannu. Yash Raj Films (YRF) is entering the horror genre for the first time.
A source close to the project told Hindustan Times earlier this year, “Varun has come on board as the lead for YRF’s first horror film.
Varun says fans wanted him and Sidharth to end up together
Varun then explained why he thought it could work, bringing up the film that first introduced him and Sidharth to audiences. The conversation came up during the rapid-fire round of an episode featuring Varun and Janhvi, with Arjun joining them on the couch midway. He pointed out that their characters already had a certain dynamic in Student of the Year. He asked if Student of the Year actually had such an ending, prompting Varun to insist that it did. Arjun then joked that the version Varun was talking about existed only in his imagination. In Student of the Year, Varun and Sidharth played students who find themselves competing against each other, with Alia Bhatt’s character caught up in the rivalry.
The remark left Arjun wondering whether he had missed an alternate version of the 2012 film.
When Karan asked Varun which male co-star he would choose for a remake of the Canadian romance series, he was quick with his answer: “Sidharth Malhotra”. Karan, who launched both actors in Student of the Year, seemed to approve of the idea, calling the pairing “quite sexy”. “I think there was (sexual) tension (between them) even in SOTY,” he said, adding, “Lot of people were, me and Sid should end up together more than Alia”.
