Varun Dhawan says Salman Khan supported him during trolling, told him ‘I’m proud of you, beta’ after Border 2 success

Varun Dhawan's performance in Border 2 has received acclaim after initial trolling. Actor revealed how Salman Khan supported him during the backlash.

Bollywood actor Varun Dhawan is riding high on the success of Border 2. While the actor faced heavy trolling for his performance — with his smile being turned into a meme when the trailer was released — the tide turned after the film hit theatres. Varun has since earned widespread praise from both critics and audiences, with many hailing it as one of the finest performances of his career. Amid this turnaround, the actor has now revealed how Salman Khan stood by him during the trolling phase and later personally praised his performance after the film’s release.

Salman Khan praised Varun Dhawan's performance in Border 2.

Varun Dhawan recalls Salman Khan's praise for his performance in Border 2

Varun, along with the entire Border 2 team, recently attended the film’s success press conference. When asked about being trolled and then praised for his performance, Varun spoke about how everyone is trolled nowadays, as it has become a trend. While some people are able to take it well, others are not. He revealed that he did not take the trolling to heart.

He added that he was fine with people trolling his smile and recalled how Salman supported him during that phase. He said, “When all this was going on, I got a phone call from Salman bhai at night. He was just laughing, and he said, ‘Good things are about to come’. His advice and belief meant a lot to me.”

The actor revealed that Salman also praised him after Border 2 was released. Sharing the superstar’s message, Varun said, “When the film wasreleased and did so well, he called me again and said, ‘I am so happy for all of you.’ Something he said that stays very close to my heart — he said, ‘I am proud of you, beta.’ It was 2 in the morning, and I just stood up on my bed. That was one of the most defining moments for me because he doesn’t praise people easily. Even his praise has a twist. He didn’t need to do that, but him saying that gave me a lot of confidence.”

About Border 2

Helmed by Anurag Singh, Border 2 is produced by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, J. P. Dutta and Nidhi Dutta under the banners of T-Series Films and J. P. Films. Set against the backdrop of the India–Pakistan war of 1971, the film stars Sunny Deol, Varun Dhawan, Ahan Shetty and Diljit Dosanjh in lead roles, along with Mona Singh, Medha Rana, Anya Singh and Sonam Bajwa in key roles. The film received positive reviews from critics and audiences and emerged as a box office success, collecting over ₹430 crore worldwide.