Varun Dhawan says Salman Khan reached out when he was being trolled for 'Border 2' song

Actor Varun Dhawan on Thursday said superstar Salman Khan called him and offered support when he was being trolled on social media before the release of Border 2. Dhawan faced intense online criticism when the films song Ghar Kab Aaoge released as many on social media criticised the actors expressions in the track while some questioned his performance record and said he did not suit the role of a soldier.

Actor Varun Dhawan on Thursday said superstar Salman Khan called him and offered support when he was being trolled on social media before the release of ''Border 2''. Dhawan faced intense online criticism when the film's song ''Ghar Kab Aaoge'' released as many on social media criticised the actor's expressions in the track while some questioned his performance record and said he did not suit the role of a soldier. The movie has become a blockbuster and inching close to Rs 500 crore mark since its release on January 23. At the success press conference of the movie here, Dhawan looked back at that phase in his life and how Salman's words comforted him. ''When these things (trolling) happen, the people who stand with you are very important. During that time, I got a call from Salman Bhai at night. He was laughing and said, 'Good things are about to come'. And his advice and his belief meant a lot to me. ''When 'Border 2' released and did so well, he called me again and he said, 'I'm so happy for all of you.' And something he said, which stays very close to my heart... it was 2am in the night and I jumped on my bed. He said 'I am proud of you Beta'.'' Calling it a ''defining moment'', Dhawan said the compliment meant a great deal because Khan does not praise people easily. ''He did not need to do that. But what he said gave me a lot of confidence. And at the end of the day, I believed in the film and believed in god,'' he said. The actor said he took the online trolling in his stride. ''Trolling happens with everyone. It's become a thing, it's become a fashion. Some people can take it in their strides, some people can't take it in their strides. Luckily, I could take it. I never took it seriously. I took it on face value. Luckily, I had family support,'' he said. The actor recalled that during the shoot of a pivotal war sequence in the film, his father, filmmaker David Dhawan, was rushed to hospital and admitted to the intensive care unit after a health scare. ''Obviously, the team knew about it, so I took a flight and went back home. I went to the ICU and saw my father. He said, 'How can you come back? Your shooting is going on.' I told him, 'I am not going back, I will stay here.' ''And my father said, 'No, we make films and entertain people. There is producers' money involved. You will go back tomorrow morning and make it for your call time.' In life, such things happen. You face so many things, then what is trolling? It's nothing. So all this doesn't make a difference to me,'' he said. Dhawan said trolls criticised his crooked smile in the movie but he will continue to use it in his future projects. ''The thing I got trolled over is something that I did in 'Badrinath ki Dulhania'. It was that crooked smile, so they (trolls) are copying me. I was like, 'It's okay if it helps you.' But it doesn't make a difference as it was a serious character. My next is comedy and I guarantee that I will use it in comedy. Why should I let it go.'' Sunny Deol also praised Dhawan and advised him to not take the chatter on social media seriously. ''I worked with his dad (David Dhawan) and he's a very hard working boy. When I went for the first day of shooting, I saw him doing action and getting hurt. I thought when we were young, we did the same. I am still young. It was great working with him and I think the rapport came across very well and I would just wish him all the best. ''I want to say the things that happen on social media, I don't know what they (trolls) want to get out of themselves, I never understood it. So I would like to tell you all (actors). See (social media) but don't get serious about it. It's all bulls***. You know who you are and what you are. Audiences watch your film and they ( trolls) will say a lot of things about you because they don't like to say anything nice about anyone.'' Dhawan said he was only concerned about honestly portraying Army officer Hoshiar Singh Dahiya and his family's reaction. ''It was a big responsibility, the kind of story it was and I got a chance... In my head, making an ensemble film in 2025-2026 is difficult because of many reasons. This is the role of a lifetime because I don't do this kind of cinema, except for ''Badlapur''. ''I was doing a very different kind of cinema. For them to have that trust in me, it was a huge thing. It was an uphill battle. It was difficult but no one wants to see an easy thing. So either I was going to fail or I was going to win the war. I'm happy India won and I also won.'' Shetty, who is the son of actor Suniel Shetty, said he is happy that he is getting a lot of support from the Indian armed forces. ''There is a sense of validation that I could represent our soldiers... (There's) definitely a lot of confidence within me now also because this is my second film. To be a part of such a big cast, be a part of such a big film was very important to me.'' ''Border 2'' also features Diljit Dosanjh, Mona Singh, Sonam Bajwa, Anya Singh, and Medha Rana.

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