Mumbai, Aug 16 (IANS): Varun Dhawan penned a message for his father David Dhawan on his 65th birthday on Sunday and thanked the filmmaker for teaching the actor to handle success and failure.

Varun on Sunday took to Instagram, where he shared a video. In the clip, the actor is seen going through a photo-album and talking about David.

In the video, Varun says: "My dad. Kabhi baap ka farz nahi nibhaya unhone. Cricket match haar ke aaya toh thappad nahi maara. Balki peeth thapthapa kar bole, 'Haarega nahi toh seekhega kaise yaar?' (He never fulfilled the duties of a father. When I would lose a cricket match, he never hit me. Instead, he gave me a pat on my back and said, 'If you don't lose, how will you learn?')."

Varun added that he wanted to grow up fast but David did not control him. Instead he spoke to him like an equal.

"Main gira toh lot-pot hoke hase, kaha ki kal ko girega toh duniya aise hi hasegi. Toh chal, practice kar le, ek-do baar. Baap ka farz kabhi nahi nibhaya... kyunki dosti ke farz mein woh mere baap nikle (When I fell down, he laughed. He explained to me that if tomorrow I fall again, the world will laugh at me, so practice it a few times. He never fulfilled the duties of a father...because when it came to fulfilling duties of a friend, he turned out to be my father)."

Alongside the video, Varun wrote: "Happy birthday Papa!! Thank u for teaching me to handle success and failure.Thank you for not only being my dad... but also my friend!"

Varun is working with his father David in the upcoming film "Coolie No. 1".

"Coolie No 1" is a remake of the Govinda-Karisma Kapoor original the director made in 1995. In the remake, Varun and Sara Ali Khan reprise the lead roles.