Varun Dhawan used the IIFA 2027 press conference in Mumbai to say that film award shows no longer give technicians their due, arguing the ceremonies now talk about everything except the films themselves.
The remarks came during the Mumbai press conference on October 22, 2026, where the line-up, hosts and partnerships for the 27th IIFA Weekend and Awards were unveiled. Dhawan was there as a first-time host of the main ceremony.
“I feel today at film awards we talk about everything but films. We are here to celebrate films, actors, performances, and technicians. I am a technician’s son. I always feel the importance we gave to technicians before, we don’t give them that respect today,” Dhawan said at the event.
Salman Khan, sharing the stage with him, pushed back at once. He rebutted that times had changed and technicians get more credit now. Dhawan agreed on the spot: “Now it is given more credit. This time, Salman Bhai has made sure that it will be given respect.”
The exchange was brief but pointed. Dhawan laid out the grievance in full, and Salman answered without pausing to soften the disagreement.
Varun Dhawan on technicians at award shows
Dhawan framed the point as a personal one. As a technician’s son, he said, he feels the shift more sharply than most, and he believes the respect once extended to crew members has thinned out at modern ceremonies.
Dhawan returned to the theme more than once during the presser, insisting the celebration should centre on films, actors, performances and technicians in that order.
His complaint was specific: awards now discuss everything around the movies while the films, the performances and the technicians get crowded out. Varun Dhawan said the night should belong to the work and the people who make it.
The exchange with Salman Khan gave the moment its edge. Where Varun Dhawan saw decline, Salman saw progress, and the two hashed it out in front of the press before Dhawan conceded the improvement.
Salman Khan counters Varun Dhawan
Salman’s rebuttal was quick and direct. Times have changed, he said, and the credit technicians receive today is greater than what Dhawan’s version allowed. The actor did not let the claim stand unchallenged.
Varun Dhawan took the correction in good spirit. “Now it is given more credit,” he agreed, adding that Salman Khan has personally ensured technicians will get their respect at IIFA 2027. “This time, Salman Bhai has made sure that it will be given respect.”
Varun Dhawan on hosting IIFA 2027
Varun Dhawan is set to make his hosting debut at the awards, sharing the stage with Ananya Panday, Karan Johar and Maniesh Paul. He promised a ceremony stripped back to its purpose.
“We will make sure IIFA 2027 is only about films. We have to bring it back to films. I have to be a little unhinged, and honest this time,” said Varun Dhawan.
Salman, who hosts Bigg Boss, offered Varun Dhawan his own advice on the job. “Don’t host. Six hours go into hosting. Best is to perform and leave,” he quipped.
The advice drew on Salman’s own long run as the host of Bigg Boss. Six hours of hosting, in his telling, is a shift best skipped in favour of a performance and an early exit.
Dhawan’s hosting brief, by his own account, is to keep the night about the movies. With Johar, Paul and Panday alongside him, and Salman Khan performing, the ceremony has hosting experience and star names on stage together.
Who attended the IIFA press conference
The press meet drew Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Shahid Kapoor, Rashmika Mandanna, Ali Fazal, Pankaj Tripathi and Abhishek Banerjee. The turnout covered performers, hosts and digital awards presenters for the Abu Dhabi weekend. All three hosting teams were represented in the room.
The 27th IIFA Weekend and Awards will be held on January 22 and 23, 2027, at the Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, in partnership with DCT Abu Dhabi and Miral. The Mumbai press conference served as the formal launch for the weekend.