Here’s what led to Kartik Aaryan’s ouster from Dharma Productions’ Dostana 2

By: Mohnish Singh

There is no denying the fact that Kartik Aaryan has reached where he is today on his own, without the help of any godfather. The actor, who started his acting journey with a small film called Pyaar Ka Punchnama (2011), has today established himself as one of the most sought-after actors in the Hindi film industry, with a number of box-office hits on his resume to prove his worth.

So, when Aaryan signed Dharma Productions’ Dostana 2 in 2019, it was considered a well-thought move to springboard to the next big league of actors. However, his unexpected ouster from the high-profile project recently came as a big surprise for all his fans and well-wishers.

While some said it was his unprofessional attitude that cost him Dostana 2, an entertainment portal now reveals that the real reason was his demand for a remuneration hike mid-way. Yes, you read that right!

Spilling some beans, a source in the know informs the publication, “Kartik Aaryan had come on board Dostana 2 in 2019 for a minimal amount of ₹2-3 crores (20-30 million), and at present his market value is upside of ₹10 crores (100 million). At first, he asked Karan for a hike in his acting fees mid-way as his market value had gone up big time in the last two years. While Karan believed it was unprofessional on Kartik’s part to renegotiate the remuneration mid-way, he tried to compensate him with another film, Mr. Lele. Kartik also agreed to come on board the said film and was all charged up for a quirky ride. But to his surprise, he found himself replaced all of a sudden by Vicky Kaushal without being notified. Kartik was also upset with Dharma Productions when they gave Shashank Khaitan's Yoddha to Shahid Kapoor. Although Shahid soon quit, they never approached Kartik for the role anyway.”

Later, Karan Johar offered him Sharan Sharma’s next film, set against the background of cricket. To avoid being dropped out of the film, Aaryan asked Johar to execute and sign a contract with him.

“Meanwhile, Kartik continued giving reasons of the Covid-19 pandemic to not start shoot for Dostana 2 and Karan did not push him much either given their relationship. But when he shot for Dhamaka, Karan was upset. They had an indoor meeting where Karan expressed his disappointment.”

Aaryan had made up his mind that he would not resume work on Dostana 2 till he signed Sharan’s next on the dotted line. Johar felt there was a total lack of trust and could not commit to the film until the script and screenplay were locked.

“Karan felt it was unprofessional on Kartik’s end to arm-twist, and this finally led to a big fall out between the two, with things going ugly. Kartik on the other hand felt he was horribly underpaid for the job, as he was definitely the biggest selling point of the film and Karan was not keeping up his promise of a second film. Kartik also developed some issues with Janhvi Kapoor, due to their break up and it all culminated into a big fight, with money, like always coming in the center. All issues might have been resolved, but unprofessionalism took things to a different tangent and Karan was left with no choice but to oust him from Dostana 2.”

While the search for Kartik Aaryan’s replacement is still on, Dostana 2 also has Janhvi Kapoor and debutant Laksh in lead roles.