after a series of unsuccessful films, Varun Dhawan has just registered the biggest opening day of his career with Border 2, as the patriotic action drama posted a robust Rs 30 crore nett Day 1 at the Indian box office. The number comfortably sails past the actor’s previous Day 1 best, reaffirming that Border 2 has landed as Varun’s most commercially potent launch yet.Until now, Varun’s strongest opening day belonged to the ensemble period drama Kalank, which debuted at Rs 21.60 crore in 2019. Before that, it was Dilwale (2015) headlined by Shah Rukh Khan with Varun in a supporting part which opened at Rs 21 crore, followed by the solo fronted Judwaa 2 (2017) at Rs 16.10 crore. With Border 2 crossing the Rs 30 crore threshold on Day 1, the new film not only resets Varun’s personal benchmarks but also signals a step up in his commercial positioning.Industry observers have long viewed Varun as a reliable box office performer, particularly in the comedy and masala space. His filmography during the mid-2010s was defined by consistent hits and strong weekend multipliers. However, the conversation around his “big opener” tag had remained somewhat muted, owing to the absence of a 25 crore+ Day 1 solo headline title. That gap now appears to have been bridged.A combination of factors fueled the Border 2 launch: the nostalgia attached to the Border brand, Sunny Deol’s resurgence post-Gadar 2, patriotic action as a currently profitable genre, and a wide all-India release designed for scale. Varun’s casting in the ensemble added youth appeal and broadened the demographic belt.Varun plays the role of Major Hoshiar Singh Dahiya who went on to win the Param Vir Chakra for his battle heroics in the 1971 War. As the film heads into extended weeeknd, industry tracking now shifts from opening day curiosity to weekend momentum and the possibility of hitting major domestic milestones in Week 1. For Varun Dhawan, however, Day 1 has already delivered and delivered big.He will be next seen under his dad David Dhawan’s direction is Hai Jawani to Ishq Hona Hai with Pooja Hegde and Mrunal Thakur.
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