Kartik Aaryan on breaking records with Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 and his journey from Gwalior to Mumbai

You came to Mumbai to survey engineering but your imagination was ever Bollywood. So, however galore auditions and however galore rejections did you face?

Countless. For 2 to 3 years, I was giving auditions, listening to rejections. Eventually, I got to cognize astir the audition for what became my archetypal film—Pyaar Ka Punchnama (2011). I americium truthful fortunate that my archetypal accidental was that film.

How did you woody with rejections and prime yourself up the adjacent time and spell for different audition?

I got utilized to it. I became shameless. After a point, you go numb. But you person to amusement up. You request a small self-belief. When everyone is doubting you, I deliberation you are the lone 1 who tin really prevention yourself from that doubt. Even aft the biggest rejection, I utilized to think, what tin beryllium worse than this? And I utilized to consciousness I would lone beryllium going up from here. I person ever believed successful manifestation. I utilized to constitute what I wanted. Everything was written successful my notebook. I deliberation determination down the enactment everything started happening.

Let’s leap close into the twelvemonth you person had—Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3. One of my favourite cinematic moments of the twelvemonth is your highly empathetic portrayal arsenic the transgender prince astatine a clip of hyper-masculine heroes. We spot you dancing to Mere Dholna, which is amazing. It was the affectional quotient of the movie and determination was besides a twist. Nobody expects it. The mentation of my Dholna which was sung by Sonu Nigam has go a rage. People person connected with it, with their lives, their childhood, their struggles. That climax gave the movie a batch of gravitas. That infinitesimal was caller for maine too. I was dancing for the archetypal time.

What’s your instrumentality connected box-office numbers? How important are they?

They are precise important. I mean this is simply a concern module. You are putting successful wealth and you privation profits for everyone associated with the film, not conscionable for actors but besides for producers and directors, distributors, and exhibitors. Only if your movie makes wealth tin you enactment wealth successful your adjacent film.

Tell america astir your travel successful Bollywood. You talked astir taking auditions but determination would person been insiders who would person got a imagination motorboat without giving immoderate audition. So, did you consciousness that disparity? And does the playing tract level astatine immoderate point?

No, it doesn’t level. But it’s been truthful galore years successful the manufacture that it doesn’t matter. I can’t accidental everyone gets adjacent opportunities. I excessively person felt similar possibly I should person gotten the accidental alternatively than idiosyncratic who is from the (film) families. So, it happens but it’s not their fault. But I deliberation it is incorrect erstwhile you comparison 2 actors and their journeys due to the fact that the travel of an outsider is precise antithetic from that of an insider.

ALSO READ | Kartik Aaryan discusses Bhool Bhualaiyaa 3 success, being an outsider, rising entourage costs astatine SCREEN Live

Moving connected to your idiosyncratic life, you person a precise awesome car collection. You person a McLaren GT, you person a BMW 5 Series, a Lamborghini Urus, a Mini Cooper and sports bikes. When bash you get the clip to drive?

After midnight. I emotion cars. The Lamborghini Urus is my favourite.

And does your ma let you to thrust sports bikes?

She said no, truthful I stopped buying bikes.

As a personage each infinitesimal of your beingness is determination earlier the world. Does that marque you vulnerable? I americium besides asking this successful discourse of the onslaught connected Saif Ali Khan successful his home.

It is scary and sad. It puts everyone successful a susceptible state. We are not capable to fell from the paps, they cognize wherever we are going, what we are doing. It’s a small utmost but they (paps) are doing this for a surviving and it is simply a symbiotic narration betwixt paps, media, actors. So, determination is nary solution for this yet. But I anticipation that it doesn’t compromise the information of people.

What’s connected your docket for 2025-26?

Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri, that’s the adjacent one. It is being produced by Namah Pictures and Dharma Productions. I americium besides doing a movie with Anurag Basu sir.

Story Behind The Picture

Kartik Aaryan with Karan Johar. (Photo: Kartik Aaryan/Instagram)

Oh! What should I accidental astir this? I deliberation this is simply a love-hate relationship. This photograph represents that. This is the infinitesimal erstwhile we signed our archetypal movie (Dostana 2 . In 2021, reports claimed Kartik and Karan had a bitter fallout, starring to the actor’s exit from the film). Now I americium doing a movie with him (Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri). We are moving unneurotic again and, I hope, helium and I volition implicit it this clip (laughs).

A throwback representation of Kartil Aaryan. (Photo: Kartil Aaryan/Instagram)

This photograph is the 1 which gave maine Pyaar Ka Punchnama. This was the lone solo photograph I had. It felt similar a portfolio to me. It was taken astatine home. I had different photos which were with my friends. In auditions, they would inquire for photos oregon videos and I had these radical photos lone truthful I would harvest them—someone’s manus would beryllium there, someone’s head. This was a solo photograph and due to the fact that of this one, I was called for the Pyaar Ka Punchnama audition.

Kartik Aaryan with Shah Rukh Khan.

I retrieve this was astatine a enactment wherever I met Shah Rukh sir. I had met him earlier excessively but this was the archetypal clip that I got a photograph taken with him. This was my fanboy moment. When I archetypal came to Mumbai from Gwalior, I went to Bandra and stood extracurricular Mannat similar galore others. It was a Sunday and helium (Shah Rukh Khan) came retired and waved. I felt truthful fortunate that I had seen him connected my archetypal visit. There was a immense assemblage and soon determination was a lathi-charge. I ran distant and got saved. I retrieve each this vividly.