Varun Dhawan Shares a Trivia from Badlapur, Opens Up About a Marketing Tactic He Attempted

Varun Dhawan used a session at WWP Media's BREW 2026 to unpack how memes, organic posts and low-budget ideas have supported film promotions. The actor recalled being heavily trolled for a Border 2 meme and also revisited a college-driven campaign from Badlapur, stressing how both efforts boosted visibility.

Speaking about Border 2, Varun Dhawan said his online reach during that film far exceeded other projects. Varun Dhawan explained that trolling around a smile meme unexpectedly pushed engagement and awareness. Varun Dhawan noted, "My social media numbers during Border 2 were insane. My Instagram would blow up with comments and reshares, and the same wouldn't happen during other films."

Varun Dhawan marketing lessons from meme culture

Varun Dhawan pointed out that Border 2 also linked his viral meme with the track 'Ghar Kab Aaoge’. Varun Dhawan shared, "Border 2 happens to be a film for which I was trolled the most for the smile meme. Though I even got a couple of ads after that. But the amount of reshares, likes and the kind of conversation that has happened is probably because of trolling or nostalgia."

Varun Dhawan added that this constant circulation effectively became unpaid marketing for the song and film. Varun Dhawan said, "The film's song 'Ghar Kab Aaoge' was doing well, but my meme was attached to that song. So every time my meme went out, people would attach that song to it. This happened for free; the production wasn't paying for it."

Varun Dhawan marketing insights from Badlapur promotions

Looking further back, Varun Dhawan remembered a hands-on strategy from Badlapur promotions, when social media use was lower. During a Delhi college visit, Varun Dhawan asked thousands of students to post the release date. Varun Dhawan recalled, "We visited college, and I had requested everyone to record me while I shared the film's release date and post it across social media."

Varun Dhawan observed that this direct push turned 3,500 students into amplifiers for Badlapur. Varun Dhawan said, "So I requested these 3500 college students to do so, and that really translated; it doubled up to 7000 views (considering one view from one student) - so at the minimum, at least 7000 people knew my film's release date."

During the BREW 2026 talk, Varun Dhawan reflected on how audiences still respond more to genuine-feeling stories than polished campaigns. Varun Dhawan suggested that, despite the sheer amount of online content, material that seems real and relatable continues to stand out and travel wider on social platforms.

On the work front, Varun Dhawan is now awaiting the release of the romantic comedy Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai. The film, directed by David Dhawan and co-starring Pooja Hegde and Mrunal Thakur, is scheduled to arrive in cinemas on June 5, with Varun Dhawan’s past marketing experiments offering useful context for its promotions.