Varun Dhawan responds to NMACC backlash, says Gigi Hadid stunt was ‘planned’

The opening of the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) in Mumbai has been the talk of the town lately. It had the biggest stars in the industry in attendance, including some who crossed over from Hollywood. While crossovers are exciting, Indian netizens felt “embarrassed” by Bollywood actor Varun Dhawan who performed at the event and picked up model Gigi Hadid on stage, spun her and kissed her on the cheek before setting her down. Dhawan has now responded and said it was all scripted.

He addressed the backlash on Twitter and wrote, “I guess today you woke up and decided to be woke. Let me burst your bubble and tell you it was planned for her to be onstage so find a new Twitter cause to vent about rather than going out and doing something about things. Good morning.”

On day two of the event, the Student of the Year actor beckoned Hadid on stage and spun her mid-performance. He kissed her cheek before she walked off stage. Twitter users raised the issue of consent, as this ‘forceful’ behaviour did not sit right with them.

They felt incredibly embarrassed in association.

Basically.

Apparently, things are not always as they seem. Hadid re-shared the video on her Instagram story captioned, “Varun Dhawan making my Bollywood dreams come true.”

If that wasn’t enough, she gave another all-clear sign by following the actor on Instagram.

This Twitter user seems to have zoomed in on the details everyone else missed.

This is what we should have focused on instead.

As long as consent is present, there’s no issue, cringe content or not.