In response to a Reddit post alleging paid trolling regarding Border 2, Varun Dhawan is being body-shamed.

In the upcoming film Border 2, Varun Dhawan plays the real-life hero of the 1971 India-Pakistan conflict, Major Hoshiar Singh Dahiya. Social internet was inundated with reels and memes that ridiculed Varun’s appearance, dance moves, and facial expressions in the song by a number of content producers, meme pages, and influencers. Using phrases like “bauna” to make fun of the actor’s height and on-screen persona, many of the viral videos turned to body-shaming.

However, a widely shared Reddit thread on Thursday asserted that Varun was the target of a paid trolling campaign. A screenshot of a purported message made to an Instagram content creator suggesting a partnership to critique Varun’s performance in Border 2 was included in the article.

According to the leaked message, creators were instructed to generate a specific kind of negative content targeting the actor. “The idea is to spark real discussion around Varun Dhawan’s performance choices, screen presence, facial expressions, and whether the casting truly fits a film of this scale and legacy,” the note read.

Additionally, the communication included “points to be targeted,” specifically telling producers to make remarks about Varun’s height that implied he wasn’t a good fit for the part. It promoted the usage of disparaging words like “bauna,” “batla,” and “naata,” as well as criticism of his acting and facial expressions.