Varun Dhawan faces backlash for interrupting Janhvi Kapoor’s serious AI remark, watch

The trailer launch of Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari had all the usual glitz and excitement, but one moment between Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor ended up becoming the real talking point.

When asked about the rise of artificial intelligence, Janhvi tried to open up about something very personal — only for Varun to jump in with a joke that quickly went viral and divided the internet.

Janhvi spoke honestly about how AI has affected her life, especially with fake images of her being shared online. “When I see on social media, there are so many AI images being circulated against my will. You and I can say it’s an AI image, but the common man will think, ‘Yeh toh yeh pehen ke pohonch gayi (She actually went out wearing this).’ I don't know what the protocol is for this,” she explained, clearly pointing to how damaging it can be.

Before she could finish, Varun interrupted with a light-hearted line directed at their director: “There is no AI na in this film, Shashank Khaitan?” His attempt at humour drew laughs in the room, but online, it was seen very differently.

Clips from the launch spread quickly on social media, and many users weren’t impressed with Varun’s timing. One post read: “Janhvi’s raising awareness on an issue that’s so serious while Varun’s chasing clout and turning it into a PR circus. One’s informed and the other’s insufferable.”