Highlights
- Varun Dhawan was fined for taking a selfie with a fan mid-traffic jam
- I'll keep safety in mind and won't encourage this, he said
- He's still going to have pay a fine though
A contrite Varun Dhawan has apologised profusely after being pulled up on Twitter by Mumbai Police for taking a selfie with a fan mid-traffic jam in Mumbai. "I respect the law and the cops are absolutely correct, it's a matter of safety," the 30-year-old actor told NDTV. He also responded to the Mumbai Police's tweet with a rueful message: "My apologies. Our cars weren't moving since we were at a traffic signal and I didn't want to hurt the sentiment of a fan but next time I'll keep safety in mind and won't encourage this." He's still going to have pay a fine though.
Mumbai Police's stern tweet to the
Judwaa 2 star is winning social media for its absolutely un-starstruck tone. The image in the tweet shows that the car and auto-rickshaw that Varun and his fan were in were stationary, as he explained in his tweet. However, the Mumbai Police tweet points out that "these adventures work on the silver screen but not on the roads of Mumbai" and that Varun had failed as "a responsible Mumbaikar and youth icon." An e-challan has been sent to the actor's home and he got off lightly this time, Varun was told.
See the exchange of tweets:
Responses to Mumbai Police's tweet are divided between commendations for not overlooking Varun Dhawan's star status and reproaches for being too harsh over what some are seeing as a minor infraction of rules. The comments thread on Varun's apology has been flooded with tweets praising his response.
Varun Dhawan, the son of director David Dhawan, recently gave Bollywood one of the year's big hits with
Judwaa 2, co-starring Jacqueline Fernandez and Taapsee Pannu. He also starred with Alia Bhatt in
Badrinath Ki Dulhania, released earlier this year. He is
currently filming October and
Sui Dhaaga.