I like to do romantic-comedies but love to watch hardcore horror films : Kartik Aaryan!

#KartikAaryanTiwari is professionally known as #KartikAaryan has established himself as an A list star with spate of hit films. He credits his stardom to his fans and maintains that he’s a fan-made star. After hitting jackpot at the box office for various films he was approached by big production houses. But during the pandemic induced lockdowns it is rumoured that he was replaced by one of the big production houses. Nudged about this, he categorically said, “I keep doing my job and do not indulge in gossip. Frankly no one has time to play mischief in anybody’s career. I am happy where I am. ‘Main apne kaam se kaam rakhta hun’. Sometimes ‘baat ka batangad bana diya jata hai’. All these so called news are fabricated and someone’s flight of imagination. All these are rumours. I am doing good number of films and am in a happy space.”

In the pandemic Kartik Aaryan was the only star who was constantly in the public eye. He interacted with the fans more often and entertained them during the trying times. In fact with the laid down instructions due to lockdown Kartik did a web film ‘#Dhamaka’ which was declared a hit on an OTT platform. “We wanted to do a film which could be shot in a smaller space. As there were restrictions on number of people to be present on the sets, we shot Dhamaka with a lesser crew. The makers wanted to make this film in an isolation due to the prevailing pandemic conditions then. Also it was built up in a news room. It was enriching experience and since it was watched by millions of viewers I was more than happy as the film worked wonders”, said Kartik Aaryan

While studying engineering Kartik had eyes on a film career and did some modelling in the beginning. After ‘struggling’ for a few years he landed a #LoveRanjan film, #PyarKaPunchnama. Though the film didn’t flutter much Kartik’s ‘monologue scene’ was a rage. The sequel of film did reasonably well but Love Ranjan directorial #SonuKeTituKiSweety was a runaway him and was a turning point in Kartik’s career. After this breakthrough film Kartik Aaryan did #LukaChhupi, #PatiPatniAurWoh which were declared super hits. This cemented Kartik’s position in the film industry and he was getting considered for meatier roles. Imtiaz Ali cast him in a romantic drama Love Aaj Kal 2 which did not do wonders in collections. But Kartik says, “Love Aaj Kal 2 received highest opening of my career. So it’s a special film for me.”

Kartik Aaryan headlined Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 is getting ready to release and he interacted with our Sr Editor Keerti Kadam. Bhool Bhulaiyaa is a cult film which starred Akshay Kumar and Vidya Balan. When asked Whether Kartik is ready for the comparison, he replied, “There’s no comparison. Akshay Kumar was a star then and is a bigger star now. He has a tremendous body of work. Actually because of the title the word comparison is cropping up. But our film is completely a new movie. There are no characters from the previous films nor actors barring a couple of them. Only the title is borrowed. (Director)  Anees Bazmee was very sure from the beginning that we’ll not make a copy or a remake. In fact when I was narrated the script I thoroughly liked it and later was told about the title. I was happy mainly because of the faith shown in my capabilities to carry a film on my shoulder by the makers. That was the validation point for my work. And of course when I came to know about the title I was doubly impressed. Of course that brought responsibility too.”

Talking further about BB2, Kartik continued, “We did a long schedule in Lucknow in Feb 20 and in March 20 lockdown was announced. Later with multiple lockdowns there was a state of anxiety of when the film will be completed. But all of us had the faith in our output and were confident to wait till the theatres opened with full capacity. I would like to stress here is that Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 is Not a remake or a sequel. It’s totally a new film. Though a few things are borrowed and incorporated in the script which justifies the title. For the first time I am working with a senior director. Anees ji is a fantastic in comedy scenes and has done justice to horror portions too. He himself is an established story-screenplay writer and what he brings on board is fabulous. Due to tremendous command over the language he used to change a few dialogues or words which would heighten the scene. He is very inspirational and used to bring positivity on the sets. Because of his loveable sense of humour the comedic scenes stand out.’

Kartik Aaryan will be coming to the theatres after almost two years. When asked about the excitement around the release after such a long gap he said, “Yes. Two years is a long time. But all of us were passing through bad times due to pandemic. Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 is a horror comedy and I assure you that it’s a family watch. The horror in our movie won’t give you sleepless nights. Anees ji has created a different world, it’s a brand new story, all new characters which are presented in a novel fashion. I have been doing romantic comedies but this time there’s a ‘tadka’ of horror. Anees ji is a master of dramatic scenes. He exactly knows how to present it in a dramatic, larger than life way. It was a thrilling experience for me and it’ll be the same for the audience. Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 is brilliant concoction of romance-comedy-horror. Also the film has been produced on a big scale and background sound, spooky sets, VFX add to the entertainment quotient of the film which’ll a treat to watch on a big screen. I want this to be the biggest film of my career.”

Kartik Aaryan has always been considered a mass appeal hero. “I am happy that I am considered a mass appeal hero. In fact I like to portray real characters from day to day life and I have been doing it. As far as roles are concerned I am game for mass appeal as well as nishe roles. I am open to any genre as long as the script and my role is good. Again social media has become very big and I appreciate my fans liking my work and posts. I want to confess there that though I have been doing romantic comedies I love watching hardcore horror films. But when I watch it at night I put on all the lights and go to sleep. But my linking for horror films has not diminished.” On the difficult scene in the film Kartik revealed, “The climax. It was the most difficult. We shot it over 48 hours non-stop. Usually a scene has various shots, 10-12 at the most. But for this film’s climax there were 300 shots. Though it was tiring, exhausting I was happy. I believe that with each film, each role I grow as an actor. And only hype can not make the film run. I believe in hard work.”

“I try to better myself everyday. The scenes I do the previous day, I think I can do better today. I like to listen to music and love dancing too. It’s my passion and I keep doing Hip-Hop and other dance forms in my free time. About the title track of Bhool Bhulaiyaa, all of us wanted it to be different from the original. Bosco sir has choreographed it fantastically. I wanted to incorporate Spook Walk so as to match it with title of the film. It’s called Zig Zag step and has turned out well. In fact I have one more song in my ‘musical bank’ including Coca Cola, Dhime Dhime etc.”