Producer Nidhi Dutta has strongly reacted to the online trolling of actor Varun Dhawan following the release of the song Ghar Kab Aaoge from the upcoming war drama Border 2. Taking to social media, she alleged that a “paid smear campaign” is being run to deliberately target the actor and went on to label those involved as “anti-nationals”.
Varun Dhawan has been facing criticism on social media platforms, especially X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, where some users mocked his expressions in the song. An X user, CineHub, claimed that certain influencers were being instructed to malign the actor, accusing them of body-shaming and selectively highlighting his expressions to push a negative agenda. The post suggested that the criticism appeared forced and organised rather than organic.
Responding to the allegations, Nidhi Dutta reposted the claim and wrote a sharp message, congratulating “anti-nationals” who, according to her, were paying to bring down an actor portraying a Param Vir Chakra (PVC) awardee in a patriotic film. She urged Indian audiences to recognise and call out such behaviour, adding that Border 2 ultimately belongs to the people of India.
The controversy gained further traction after a Reddit user shared screenshots of an alleged chat, which appeared to show messages encouraging influencers to criticise Varun Dhawan’s performance in the song.
Amid the backlash, Varun Dhawan maintained a calm and composed stance. Replying to a fan on Instagram who asked about people questioning his acting, the actor said that the very questions had helped make the song popular. He added that audiences were enjoying it and expressed gratitude for the positive response.
Border 2, directed by Anurag Singh, is a sequel to J. P. Dutta’s iconic 1997 film Border. Based on the 1971 India–Pakistan war, the film stars Sunny Deol, Varun Dhawan, Diljit Dosanjh and Ahan Shetty, and is scheduled for a theatrical release on January 23.
