Memes to Massive Win: Varun Dhawan’s Border 2 Success Silences Trolls
Actor Varun Dhawan has proven once again that box office numbers and audience love speak louder than online noise. After facing pre-release memes and social media trolling, the actor turned the narrative around with the roaring success of Border 2, which opened to an impressive ₹32.10 crore on Day 1 and continues to draw crowds to cinemas nationwide.
Before the film’s release, Varun found himself at the centre of online jokes, with memes mockingly dubbing him “Varunardo Delusion Hawan” following the release of the song Ghar Kab Aaoge. However, instead of responding directly, the actor chose a quieter, more powerful route letting his performance and the film’s reception do the talking.
On Monday, Varun Dhawan took to Instagram Stories to share a striking image that quickly went viral. Standing through the sunroof of his car, the actor waved the National Flag as a large group of fans surrounded his vehicle, cheering loudly. Along with the photo, Varun wrote, "Border 2 🇮🇳 Love will always triumph hate. Thank you 🙏", sending out a clear message amid the chatter around him.
Varun Dhawan on shutting down the noise
Varun had earlier addressed the trolling while speaking at the Braves Of The Soil tribute trailer launch for Border 2. Maintaining a calm and grounded approach, he spoke about focusing on his craft rather than criticism.
He said, "I believe that you shut down the noise and just let your work do the talking. Yeh sab cheezein chalti rehti hai (All these keep happening). It doesn't really matter. Main iske liye kaam karta hoon. Main jis cheeze k liye kaam karta hoon woh iss Friday ko pata chalega (I don't work for this. What I work for, you will get to know this Friday)."
Emphasising his faith in meaningful cinema, the actor added, "Mujhe film pe bharosa hai. Ek achi film banana bohut important hai. Obviously, numbers yeh sab cheezein mera kuch lena dena nahi hai isse. But I believe ki humne ek achi film banayi hai (I believe in the film. It's very important to make a good film. I'm not concerned with numbers. I believe we made a good film)."
He further explained why audience connection matters more than controversy, saying, "Log jab theatre mein jaate hai, sab bhool jaate hai (When people go to theatres, they forget everything). They want to be entertained, that's it… Main use school se aata hoon jaaha aapka kaam bolta hai (I come from the school where a person's work speaks)."
Directed by Anurag Singh, Border 2 is the sequel to the iconic 1997 war drama Border and is set against the backdrop of the 1971 India–Pakistan war. Varun Dhawan plays Major Hoshiar Singh Dahiya, sharing screen space with Sunny Deol, Diljit Dosanjh, Ahan Shetty, Sonam Bajwa, Anya Singh, Medha Rana and Mona Singh.
Packed with emotional moments, nostalgic callbacks, strong performances and high-quality VFX, the film has resonated deeply with audiences. As Border 2 continues its successful box office run, fans have rallied behind Varun, celebrating his confidence, humour and resilience a reminder that positivity and dedication can outshine even the loudest online negativity.
Before the film’s release, Varun found himself at the centre of online jokes, with memes mockingly dubbing him “Varunardo Delusion Hawan” following the release of the song Ghar Kab Aaoge. However, instead of responding directly, the actor chose a quieter, more powerful route letting his performance and the film’s reception do the talking.
On Monday, Varun Dhawan took to Instagram Stories to share a striking image that quickly went viral. Standing through the sunroof of his car, the actor waved the National Flag as a large group of fans surrounded his vehicle, cheering loudly. Along with the photo, Varun wrote, "Border 2 🇮🇳 Love will always triumph hate. Thank you 🙏", sending out a clear message amid the chatter around him.
Varun Dhawan on shutting down the noise
Varun had earlier addressed the trolling while speaking at the Braves Of The Soil tribute trailer launch for Border 2. Maintaining a calm and grounded approach, he spoke about focusing on his craft rather than criticism.He said, "I believe that you shut down the noise and just let your work do the talking. Yeh sab cheezein chalti rehti hai (All these keep happening). It doesn't really matter. Main iske liye kaam karta hoon. Main jis cheeze k liye kaam karta hoon woh iss Friday ko pata chalega (I don't work for this. What I work for, you will get to know this Friday)."
Emphasising his faith in meaningful cinema, the actor added, "Mujhe film pe bharosa hai. Ek achi film banana bohut important hai. Obviously, numbers yeh sab cheezein mera kuch lena dena nahi hai isse. But I believe ki humne ek achi film banayi hai (I believe in the film. It's very important to make a good film. I'm not concerned with numbers. I believe we made a good film)."
He further explained why audience connection matters more than controversy, saying, "Log jab theatre mein jaate hai, sab bhool jaate hai (When people go to theatres, they forget everything). They want to be entertained, that's it… Main use school se aata hoon jaaha aapka kaam bolta hai (I come from the school where a person's work speaks)."
Why Border 2 struck a chord
Directed by Anurag Singh, Border 2 is the sequel to the iconic 1997 war drama Border and is set against the backdrop of the 1971 India–Pakistan war. Varun Dhawan plays Major Hoshiar Singh Dahiya, sharing screen space with Sunny Deol, Diljit Dosanjh, Ahan Shetty, Sonam Bajwa, Anya Singh, Medha Rana and Mona Singh.
Packed with emotional moments, nostalgic callbacks, strong performances and high-quality VFX, the film has resonated deeply with audiences. As Border 2 continues its successful box office run, fans have rallied behind Varun, celebrating his confidence, humour and resilience a reminder that positivity and dedication can outshine even the loudest online negativity.
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