After delivering a blockbuster hit with Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 in 2022, Kartik Aaryan is back in the theatres with Shehzada, a film he has co-produced and where he also has the lion’s share of the screen time. Despite Kartik’s goofy charm, Shehzada hasn’t quite taken off at the box office. While Kartik’s Bantu in this Rohit Dhawan-directed comedy has the look-and-feel of characters he has played in the past, here are five comedic roles that Kartik Aaryan shot to fame with.

Rajat in Pyaar Ka Punchnama (2011)

In this Luv Ranjan comedy, Kartik plays Rajat, a carefree young man who lives in a bachelor pad with his friends Nishant (Divyendu Sharma) and Vikrant (Raayo Bhakhirta). Rajat’s life goes through an upheaval when he falls in love with Neha (Nushrratt Bharuccha), who uses him to get her chores done — at home and in office — and also makes him foot her bills. Rajat’s naivete makes for a good laugh as he doesn’t realise that Neha doesn’t love him back, until the day things come to a head and he walks out on her.

Aryan in Guest iin London (2017)

Ashwni Dhir’s comedy drama revolves around Aryan Shergill (Kartik Aaryan), a migrant worker in the UK who lands in a soup when his visa expires. He decides to arrange a sham marriage to extend his stay and get British citizenship. He convinces a taxi driver, Anaya Patel (Kriti Kharbanda), to agree to marry him in court in exchange for money. A laugh riot follows when Aryan’s relatives Gangasharan (Paresh Rawal) and Guddi (Tanvi Azmi) show up in his London home, and Aryan and Anaya have to pretend to be newlyweds. Gangasharan also causes several mishaps at Aryan’s workplace, leading to him losing his job, and then it’s up to him to save the day.

Sonu in Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety (2018)

In Luv Ranjan’s superhit film Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety, Sonu (Kartik Aaryan) shares a special bond with his friend Titu (Sunny Singh), but their bromance is threatened when Titu gets engaged to Sweety (Nushrratt Bharuccha). Sonu finds Sweety domineering, selfish and possessive, and decides that his friend needs to get rid of her. Much of the fun in this film arises from how Sonu leaves no stone unturned to pull Titu out of a toxic relationship and show him Sweety’s true nature.

Chintu in Pati Patni Aur Woh (2019)

Kartik Aaryan plays Chintu Tyagi, a middle-class man from Kanpur, in this film directed by Mudassar Aziz. Chintu’s wife Vedika (Bhumi Pednekar) is a teacher and wants to shift out of their small town. His parents, on the other hand, keep pestering Chintu for a grandchild. Frustrated with his mundane life, Chintu finds solace in the company of Tapasya Singh (Ananya Panday), an aspiring fashion designer from Delhi. Life becomes hard for Chintu as he finds it increasingly difficult to strike a balance between his wife and his infatuation, leading to hilarious situations.

Rooh Baba in Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 (2022)

In a year when big stars of Bollywood failed to deliver a hit, Kartik Aaryan had a clean sweep at the box office with the Anees Bazmee-directed Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 where he plays Ruhaan, a clairvoyant man who accompanies Reet (Kiara Advani) to her ancestral mansion in Bhawanigarh. Reet, who doesn’t want to marry her fiance, pretends to be dead while Ruhaan claims he can communicate with her spirit, thus winning over her family. As word spreads about Ruhaan’s supernatural skills, villagers start seeking his help to communicate with the dead and he becomes popular as Rooh Baba.