Varun Dhawan Reveals What Salman Khan Told Him During A 2 AM Call
Varun Dhawan revealed how a 2 am call from Salman Khan during ‘Border 2’ phase became a defining moment in his journey.
Bollywood actor Varun Dhawan is riding high on the success of ‘Border 2’. When the trailer of ‘Border 2’ was released, his smile in one particular shot quickly turned into meme fodder, making him a trending topic for online trolling. Varun chose to take the jibes sportingly, but the narrative shifted dramatically after the film hit theatres. Once audiences watched his full performance, many of those critics turned into admirers, with the actor now being credited for delivering one of the strongest performances of his career.
At the film’s success press conference, Varun Dhawan opened up about navigating trolling in the digital era, saying that online criticism is something almost everyone faces today and that he consciously decided not to let it affect him. However, what stood out most was his revelation about Salman Khan’s support during that phase.
Recalling the moment, Varun shared that Salman called him one night when the trolling was at its peak. “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,” Varun said.
After the film’s release and its strong box office performance, Salman called again – this time to congratulate him. Varun revealed that the call came at around 2 am and left a lasting impact on him.
“Later, when Border 2 was released and it did so well, again he called me and said he’s so happy for all of us. Something he said that stays very close to my heart… it was 2 am and I stood up on my bed after I heard it. He said, ‘I am proud of you, beta’. That was a very defining moment for me because he doesn’t praise people easily. I am just saying because he didn’t need to do that, and his praise gave me a lot of confidence,” Varun said, adding that he always believed in the film and placed his faith in Lord Krishna.
‘Border 2’ has emerged as a major commercial success, grossing Rs 464.22 crore worldwide, including Rs 377 crore in India within 20 days of release. The film has become the second-highest-grossing project of Sunny Deol’s career and the highest earner for Varun Dhawan, Diljit Dosanjh, and Ahan Shetty.
Producer Bhushan Kumar also addressed box office transparency at the press conference. He revealed that Sunny Deol had insisted on declaring only genuine advance booking figures, despite industry chatter about artificial ticket-buying practices to inflate numbers. Bhushan explained that the team chose to go “fully organic” with reporting, emphasising that audiences eventually recognise inflated figures and that honesty was the best approach.
Directed by Anurag Singh, ‘Border 2’ is set against the backdrop of the 1971 India-Pakistan war. The film is produced by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, J P Dutta, and Nidhi Dutta under the banners of T-Series and J P Films.
Alongside Sunny Deol, Varun Dhawan, Ahan Shetty and Diljit Dosanjh in leading roles, the film also features Mona Singh, Medha Rana, Anya Singh, and Sonam Bajwa in pivotal parts.
