Earlier this month, Karan Johar’s banner Dharma Productions officially announced that actor Kartik Aaryan will no longer star in the filmmaker’s upcoming “Dostana 2”.
“Due to professional circumstances, on which we have decided to maintain a dignified silence — we will be recasting Dostana 2, directed by Collin D’Cunha. Please wait for the official announcement soon,” the announcement read.
Now, according to a report by Bollywood Hungama, multiple reasons have surfaced, revealing why Kartik was sacked. The “Dostana” sequel had Kartik on board in 2019, the same year when his films “Luka Chuppi”, “Pati Patni Aur Woh”, and “Love Aaj Kal” were released.
When Kartik signed the dotted line for KJo’s film his remuneration was a minimal amount of Rs. 2-3 crores. However, after the release of three films and making a mark for himself in showbiz, the actor’s market value went up to Rs 10 crores.
When Kartik tried to get a fee hike mid-way Karan found it unprofessional but tried to compensate with another film “Mr. Lele.”
The actor agreed, but to his surprise, he was replaced by Vicky Kaushal without being notified.
Later he was offered a cricket story by Gunjan Saxena fame director Sharan Sharma. But this time Kartik wanted it to be in the form of a contract, suggesting lack of trust.
Not to mention, he also refused to shoot for “Dostana 2” till these demands were met.
After Vicky and Janhvi decided to shoot for “Mr. Lele” in April, Kartik told Karan that he was available for “Dostana 2” the same month. KJo was upset with Kartik since Janhvi had to now pick between the two.
Due to these multiple reasons of going back and forth, eventually led to the fallout. As per unconfirmed reports, differences reportedly emerged between the makers and the actor, and Dharma Productions have decided not to collaborate with the actor in future.
According to unauthenticated sources, the makers have lost around Rs 20 crore with Kartik’s exit, for 20 days of shoot were already completed and these will have to be re-shot with a new actor. The sources said “after 20 days of shoot, Kartik had issues with script and felt that it was not okay”, adding that the actor was also not allotting dates to the project.
“Dostana 2” also stars actress Janhvi Kapoor.
Meanwhile on work front, Kartik will be seen in the horror-comedy film “Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2”, starring Tabu and Kiara Advani. The film is a sequel to 2007 film “Bhool Bhulaiyaa”, which stars Akshay Kumar in the lead. The film is slated to hit screens in November this year.
He is also part of Ram Madhvani’s “Dhamaka”, which will release digitally.
Source: Free Press Journal
