Even if the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) Gala was a star-studded event, Bollywood’s heartthrob woke to criticism for his performance from yesterday night. One performance stuck out among the flash and glamour, but not for the right reasons. As part of his dance performance, Varun Dhawan receives criticism lifting American supermodel Gigi Hadid, raising questions about consent among fans.
The Bollywood actor can be seen welcoming Gigi onto the platform in an internet video by taking her arm and kissing her cheeks. On social media, the video immediately became viral as fans criticized Varun’s behavior and expressed concerns about boundaries, respect, and permission. Varun Dhawan clarified the situation as fans were shocked by what had happened and shut down the trolls for criticizing him for it.
View this post on Instagram
The actor took to his Twitter handle and tweeted, “I guess today you woke up and decided to be woke. So lemme burst ur bubble and tell u it was planned for her to be on stage so find a new Twitter cause to vent about rather than going out and doing something about things. Good morning” with folded hands emoji.
It’s fair to say that Gigi Hadid was a little uncomfortable during the entire incident, and even though everything had been planned before, it was not performed perfectly. The incident involving Varun Dhawan lifting Gigi Hadid at the NMACC has sparked a much-needed conversation about consent and appropriate behavior. While some people may have differing opinions about the incident, it is important to remember that respect and consent are paramount in all kinds of relationships.