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Mumbai: Vijay Varma walked onto the stage to collect a major acting honour, but it was his perfectly timed comeback to Dolly Singh that ended up stealing the spotlight.

A clip from the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) 2026 is doing the rounds online after Dolly called Vijay the “nation’s biggest red flag,” referring to the dark and morally complex characters he frequently portrays on screen.

Dolly Singh calls Vijay Varma a ‘walking red flag’

The exchange took place while Vijay was receiving the Best Performance award for his role in the crime drama series Matka King.

Dolly joked that whenever Vijay enters a scene, viewers immediately begin wondering who is in trouble and whom his character might punch or abuse next. She described him as a “walking-talking red flag” but also acknowledged that he is reportedly one of the nicest actors to work with.

Vijay, however, had a cheeky response ready.

He told Dolly that she could simply buy a piece of red cloth and “make as many flags as you want.”

When Dolly dismissed his response as a “lame joke,” Vijay immediately fired back, “Just as I let your terrible compliment slide.”

The unexpected comeback left the audience laughing, while Dolly admitted that she should let him go before he roasted her any further.

Vijay Varma’s comeback grabs attention

The playful exchange quickly attracted attention online, with many viewers praising Vijay’s presence of mind and the calm smile with which he delivered the punchline.

The “red flag” tag has followed Vijay for years because of his convincing portrayals of disturbing and unpredictable characters. His intense performance in Matka King, which follows the rise of a cotton trader who enters the world of gambling, has now earned him another major accolade.

Vijay may have arrived on stage to collect an award for his acting, but he walked away after winning the banter as well.