'Border 2' Box-Office: Why The Varun Dhawan Memes and Trolling Could Not Dent The Sunny Deol Juggernaut

The joke in the industry is that urban social media users excel at generating memes, hot takes, and outrage—but are far less consistent at buying movie tickets. Border 2, the latest war epic, has spent the last few weeks being dissected online, with its teaser VFX and then actor Varun Dhawan becoming easy meme material for Instagram and Twitter timelines.

On the ground, though, the conversation sounds very different. Exhibitors and trade insiders say audiences aren’t debating viral jokes on Dhawan's lopsided smile in the trailer, but enquiring about tickets of Border 2, which, as expected, is looking for a huge start at the box-office.

"The film is seeing solid traction where it matters, the tier two and three centres, powered by brand recall, the music, and the enduring pull of Sunny Deol, whose mass connect has only strengthened since Gadar 2. The online chatter was mere noise, existing in an echo chamber, and possibly being done by parties who'd relish pulling down others," notes a marketing executive.

Dhawan, on his part, also addressed the trolling at a recent event and said, "I believe that you shut down the noise and just let your work do the talking. All these things keep happening. It doesn't really matter. I don't work for this. What I work for, you will find out this Friday."

From a box-office standpoint, expectations remain firmly bullish. Trade estimates peg Border 2 for an opening day in the ₹30 to 35 crore range, with a strong word-of-mouth scenario potentially pushing the extended opening weekend—powered by Republic Day holiday on Monday—towards ₹150 crore. If the film connects the way exhibitors hope it to, a lifetime north of ₹500 crore is on the cards.

"Border is a legacy brand,” says exhibitor Vishek Chauhan, whose Bihar-based Roopbani Cinemas is gearing up for a packed opening day. "It’s iconic and the film was a rage when it was released. The power of that brand is massive. None of this online chatter can break that down.”

Set during the India–Pakistan war of 1971, Border was one of the biggest blockbusters of Indian cinema, earning over ₹39 crore back in 1997 (the inflation-adjusted figures would be over ₹360 crore), according to Box Office India.

Trade sources note that the original Border, directed by JP Dutta, who is now co-producing the sequel, was successful because it struck a perfect emotional chord. It was a war story mounted at a scale that felt authentic for its time, powered by chartbuster music and anchored by Sunny Deol at his peak.

"That emotional memory has carried across decades, especially in the tier 2 and tier 3 markets, where the film remains deeply embedded in popular culture. All the team had to do was bring in some of those elements back, chiefly Sunny and some of the iconic songs. This is basically the Gadar 2 model," the marketing source added.

Border 2 is directed by Anurag Singh (who also directed Akshay Kumar's Kesari), with the original Border composer Anu Malik returning to compose songs for the sequel.

“In Border 2, Sunny Deol is the brand,” Chauhan adds. “He is the OG. As long as the music lands, the dialogues (penned by Sumit Arora) pack a punch and Sunny is front and centre, that’s all the audience needs. Varun and the others are supporting him. Sunny is driving this film.”

Trade observers also draw a direct parallel with Deol’s Gadar 2, which was similarly written off in some urban circles for looking dated or regressive, only to go on to script historic box-office numbers with over ₹500 crore India nett.

"The same pattern played out with films like Jawan, where people said, 'Oh, what has happened to Shah Rukh? This looks like a mindless masala film.' But everyone enjoyed the film. So this Instagram and Twitter trolling makes no difference,” Chauhan says bluntly. “Online trolling has zero impact in the real world. Often it’s sponsored, and today we have as many trollers as we have critics. Everyone with a Twitter account thinks they’re a reviewer. There’s a credibility crisis there.”

According to industry trackers, Border 2’s trailer and music have already done their job where it matters most. The target audience has been reached, particularly in the North and heartland markets where Border's legacy runs deep. In these regions, viewers are far more invested in the emotion, the patriotism and the familiarity of the brand than in what’s trending online.

There’s also a quiet acknowledgement within the trade that some of the social media noise could simply be manufactured outrage. Rival fandoms, algorithm-driven pile-ons and meme culture often amplify narratives that don’t translate beyond the phone screen.

“It’s about your local environment,” Chauhan explains. “Border doesn’t need this negativity. The trailer worked, the buzz on the ground is huge, and the trolling has had zero impact.”

Chauhan sums it up with a simple analogy. “You don’t need to convince people to buy Colgate. You just have to tell them it’s available. Border 2 is the same; the brand is huge and bulletproof.”