The Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 [2022] actor allays such fears by reminding all that the much-publicized break-up hasn’t dented his prospects in the film industry.

By Mayur Lookhar

Differences, disagreements are part of life. Cinema is no different, but a major falling out with a big legacy studio naturally leads to many conversations.  Kartik Aaryan and Karan Johar-led Dharma Productions parted ways last year with the young actor not only leaving Dostana 2 but the aggrieved legacy studio deciding to never collaborate with the talented actor again.

Whilst there was no concrete reason cited for this break-up, but rumour had it that Aaryan’s strained relationship with his Dostana 2 co-star Janhvi Kapoor spilled over to the professional set-up too, leaving Dharma disappointed with the Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety [2018] actor. The unofficial word that floated around in industry circles then pinned the blame on a certain ‘small town f*** boy’ mentality. 

Aaryan is usually very jovial while dealing with the media. However, we found the usual excitement missing in his tone during the trailer launch of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 [2022] a few days ago.  If not worried, the man seemed cautious in his tone, choosing his words carefully.

A falling out with a powerful legacy studio isn’t an ideal thing for any actor especially for a self-made star like Aaryan. Is there any fear or tension of any repercussion? We asked Aaryan during the group interview for Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 today [4 May] at T-Series office in Mumbai.

“No,” he said firmly before adding, “I simply stick to my work. That’s about it.”   We were relieved to hear this but couldn’t help asking whether the attitude of the film industry has changed towards him after this fallout? Is the industry responding to him normally as before?

“You just have to see my line -up,” Aaryan summed it in a few words.  That got us curious about his line-up. There are just couple of titles that have been announced. Prominent among them is Balaji Motion Pictures’ Freddy and T-Series’ Shehzada, both produced by legacy studios.

The break-up with Dharma wouldn’t die down so easily. Few minutes later, a veteran journalist asked Aaryan about the truth behind stories of a lobby working against him. 

“Baat ka batangad [making a mountain out of a molehill],” Aaryan says, “I don’t think people have that much time for such things. Everyone is busy with their own work. Everyone is focused on doing good films. The rest is all rumours.”

Well, if the man says so, then we leave this conversation here.

Produced by T-Series, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 [2022] is set to be released on 20 May.