Karuna Dhawan is David Dhawan’s wife and the mother of Varun and Rohit Dhawan. She was born Karuna Chopra, sister of the actor Ramesh Chopra, and the family still calls her Laali. She married David in 1984.
The part nobody puts in the caption: both families were against it. Hers thought a struggling man in the film line was no match for their daughter. His wanted him settled with someone else entirely. They married anyway, and they are still married four decades later.
| Who she is | Karuna Dhawan, born Karuna Chopra, known in the family as Laali |
| Husband | Director David Dhawan, born Rajinder Dhawan, 16 August 1951, Agartala |
| Married | 1984 |
| Sons | Director Rohit Dhawan and actor Varun Dhawan |
| Her brother | Actor Ramesh Chopra |
| Daughters-in-law | Jaanvi and Natasha |
| How they met | Introduced by a mutual friend at a party |
| The obstacle | Both families were against the match |
| Together for | Over four decades |
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Who is Karuna Dhawan?
Karuna Dhawan was born Karuna Chopra. Her brother is the actor Ramesh Chopra, so she was not a stranger to the film world, but she never wanted any part of it for herself.
She has stayed a homemaker throughout, deliberately out of the press. You will see her at a film event or a family wedding beside her husband and sons, and almost nowhere else. She is close to both her daughters-in-law, Jaanvi and Natasha.

Who is David Dhawan?
David Dhawan was born Rajinder Dhawan on 16 August 1951 in Agartala, Tripura. He trained in editing at the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune and began his career cutting film, including Saaransh in 1984.
He directed his first film, Taaqatwar, in 1989, and went on to make more than forty Hindi comedies, including eighteen with Govinda. For a whole generation, his name on a poster meant one particular kind of Friday night.
They met at a party, through a friend
There was no film set and no dramatic first meeting. A mutual friend introduced them at a party. He was taken with her immediately. She liked that he was funny and sharp.
They swapped numbers, kept talking, and it turned into a relationship.
Both families said no
This is where it stopped being simple. Karuna’s family did not want her marrying a man whose career was in films, with no guarantee of anything. David’s family had their own ideas about who he should marry.
There was persuasion, then pressure, then something harder than pressure. Neither of them moved. In 1984 they married.

Forty years, two sons and no drama
David’s career took years to become the thing it eventually became. The 1990s belonged to him, but 1984 to 1989 did not, and Karuna was there for that stretch as much as the successful one.
Their elder son Rohit became a director. Varun became one of the biggest actors of his generation. Neither parent has ever traded on the marriage publicly, which in Bollywood is its own kind of achievement.
Karuna and David Dhawan: your questions answered
Who is David Dhawan’s wife?
Karuna Dhawan, born Karuna Chopra. They married in 1984 and have two sons, Rohit and Varun Dhawan.
Who is Varun Dhawan’s mother?
Karuna Dhawan. She is a homemaker who has stayed away from the film industry and the press.
When did David Dhawan and Karuna get married?
In 1984, against opposition from both of their families.
What is Karuna Dhawan’s real name?
She was born Karuna Chopra. Within the family she is known as Laali.
Is Karuna Dhawan related to any actors?
Yes. Her brother is the actor Ramesh Chopra, and her sons are Varun Dhawan and Rohit Dhawan.
What is David Dhawan’s real name?
Rajinder Dhawan. He was born on 16 August 1951 in Agartala, Tripura.
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