Ever since the trailer and songs for Border 2 dropped, social media was flooded with memes and “critiques” specifically mocking Varun Dhawan’s smile and expressions. Many internet users questioned if the Student of the Year star was “too urban” or “too soft” to play a gritty soldier in a sequel to one of India’s most iconic patriotic films.
The trolling intensified after the release of the song Ghar Kab Aaoge, where some viewers felt Dhawan’s emotional expressions didn’t fit the somber tone of a war drama.
Karan Johar, who famously launched Varun’s career and has remained a close mentor, didn’t hold back. Taking to Instagram, the filmmaker shared a series of stories praising the film and directly addressing the “noisemakers.”
“The reason why it’s called a virtual world is because real will always score and prove the noise on social media as defunct!” Johar wrote. “You can troll an artist for his smile, but then he laughs when the film releases to packed houses and he receives pure, authentic audience love!”
Johar went on to call out “clickbait-seeking content creators,” asserting that “truth will always prevail” when a film actually connects with the people in theaters.
For his part, Varun Dhawan seems to be taking the high road. During a recent promotional event, he acknowledged the trending memes with a sense of humor, even teaching a singer his “signature smile” during a live session.
“I know my smile is trending,” Varun joked, before turning serious. “I believe that you shut down the noise and let your work do the talking. I don’t work for the trolling; I work for the Friday release.”
Directed by Anurag Singh, Border 2 serves as the long-awaited sequel to J.P. Dutta’s 1997 classic. While Sunny Deol returns to lead the charge as Lt Col Fateh Singh Kaler, the film introduces a fresh trio. Varun Dhawan as Major Hoshiar Singh Dahiya (a real-life Param Vir Chakra recipient). Diljit Dosanjh as Fg Offr Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon. Ahan Shetty as Lt Cdr M.S. Rawat.
Early reviews suggest that despite the pre-release skepticism, Dhawan’s performance—particularly in the intense trench-warfare scenes—is being hailed as one of the highlights of the film. To know such latest updates tuned to tellyboosters.com Thank you!
