Kartik Aaryan, who recently recovered from Covid-19, is wrapping up the last-schedule shoot of Shehzada, a Hindi remake of Allu Arjun-starrer Telugu action-drama Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo.
Kartik said Shehzada, directed by Rohit Dhawan and co-starring Kriti Sanon, has a different treatment than the original Telugu blockbuster.
“I am shooting for the last schedule of Shehzada. It is an entertainer. It is a complete package. We have adapted it and have made some changes. We have taken the basic idea. But the humour and certain things are different,” he said at a media event in Mumbai on Monday.
The actor, who is riding high on the success of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, will start shooting for Hansal Mehta's Captain India after wrapping up Shehzada. He also has an untitled musical love saga with Sameer Vidwans in the works.
Kartik recently got India’s first McLaren GT worth Rs 4.7 crore as a gift from Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 producer Bhushan Kumar.
Even though the Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 team was confident about the commercial success of the film, they didn't expect the movie to revive the prospects of Hindi film industry at the box office, the actor said.
Released on May 20, the Anees Bazmee directorial received positive response from critics and audiences for its entertaining storyline and performances by Tabu, Rajpal Yadav, Kiara Advani and Aaryan. Kartik plays the role of Ruhaan Randhawa, a fraud psychic, in the film.
Produced by Bhushan Kumar-led T-Series and Cine1 Studios, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 has raised Rs 230.75 crore worldwide, a huge relief for the Hindi film industry after box office failures like Bachchan Pandey, Prithviraj, Heropanti 2 and Jersey.
“It feels really good. I didn’t know that we would be able to revive the industry. We did hope the film would do well. To be honest, we expected it to cross Rs 100 crore. We never thought it would cross the Rs 200-crore mark. It is above our expectations,” Aaryan said.
“We were confident that the family audience would enjoy it as it is an entertaining film. What amazed me was the reaction of kids, like three-year-old children are singing Hare Ram.... It all feels unreal. We never thought it would penetrate so much,” he added.
“I haven't got time yet (to celebrate). The film is running in the theatres and is even in the top five on Netflix. It is not sinking in yet as every day some new record is set. I am told 10 million people have watched the film so far, this is huge footfall,” Kartik added.
The Gwalior-born actor rose to popularity courtesy his monologues in the romantic-comedy Pyaar Ka Punchnama film franchise. He witnessed a dull phase till Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety and Luka Chuppi changed the course of his career.
Looking back, Kartik said he would not like to alter anything in his life. “I would have never changed anything in this journey, like from where I started out in the industry, the ups and downs that I faced. It is a positive story for everyone... The self-belief and hard work should remain intact,” he said.
