EXCLUSIVE| Shiamak Davar defends Varun Dhawan over Gigi Hadid incident: It was Gigi’s idea

Videos of actors Shah Rukh Khan, Ranveer Singh and Varun Dhawan’s Jhoome Jo Pathaan (Pathaan) act and Alia Bhatt and Rashmika Mandanna dancing to the beats of Naatu Naatu (RRR; 2022) at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) gala on Saturday night broke the internet. Another clip from the event that surfaced and became the talk of the town was the part where Dhawan excitedly swoops up American model Gigi Hadid in his arms and twirls her around, giving her a peck on the cheeks. Social media was abuzz with chatter that her consent wasn’t involved.

While Hadid made it clear through an Insta Story that she was happy with what happened, choreographer Shiamak Davar, who directed all the acts for the night, tells us, “Varun told me that Gigi said to him, ‘When you are going to be on stage, bring me up’, to which he said, ‘Okay’. That’s why he picked her up. It was her idea and everything was pre-planned.”

Mention the discussion on consent that’s doing the rounds and Davar asserts, “It is not true. It is Gigi who told Varun [to do so].” The choreographer adds that he was amazed with the kind of response that moment received: “I couldn’t believe how much they (the audience present at the do) loved it. Mukesh (Ambani; business magnate-host) had tears in his eyes and [his wife] Nita (Ambani; philanthropist and host) was wiping them.”