Varun Dhawan’s latest film ‘Hai Jawaani Toh Ishq Hona Hai’ has recently released and it sees him with Mrunal Thakur, Pooja Hegde. The actors have been promoting the film and recently, during an interview, Varun found himself at the receiving end of some good-natured ribbing from comedian Tanmay Bhat, who poked fun at the actor’s recent box office fortunes while discussing the phenomenal success of Ranveer Singh’s ‘Dhurandhar’ franchise. The exchange, however, became even more entertaining thanks to Varun’s candid comeback.The actor appeared on Tanmay’s YouTube channel for a fun-filled episode that also featured comedians Rohan Joshi, Piyush Sharma and Zakir Khan. Packed with jokes and banter, the video quickly went viral on the internet. At one point during the conversation, Tanmay compared the promotional efforts behind Varun’s latest film, ‘Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai’, to the staggering box office numbers posted by the ‘Dhurandhar’ films. “The amount of hard work you are putting in promoting the film (Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai) is commendable because it takes some kind of optimism to work this hard to get 1% of Dhurandhar box office numbers,” Tanmay joked.The remark left everyone laughing, including Varun, who responded in a self-deprecating manner. “I think post Dhurandhar we are living with this weight ki bhai hum bhi kuch na kuch karle (brother, we also have to do something),” he said.The ‘Dhurandhar’ series has become a box office phenomenon since its launch. Directed by Aditya Dhar, the first film arrived in cinemas on December 5, 2025, while its sequel, ‘Dhurandhar 2’, released on March 19 this year. Both instalments turned into major commercial successes.According to Sacnilk, ‘Dhurandhar’ earned more than ₹1,307 crore worldwide, while ‘Dhurandhar 2’ grossed over ₹1,812 crore globally. Together, the two films have amassed upwards of ₹3,000 crore at the worldwide box office. The sequel also emerged as the second-highest-grossing Indian film of all time, behind only Aamir Khan’s ‘Dangal’. The franchise featured Akshaye Khanna, Sanjay Dutt, R Madhavan, Sara Arjun and Rakesh Bedi in prominent roles.Meanwhile, Varun’s latest outing, ‘Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai’, hit theatres on June 5. Directed by David Dhawan, the romantic comedy stars Mrunal Thakur and Pooja Hegde alongside Varun, with Rakesh Bedi, Jimmy Shergill, Maniesh Paul and Mouni Roy playing key supporting characters. Upon release, the film received a mixed response from critics.