Bollywood actor Kartik Aaryan, who was working with television host and producer Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions for his upcoming film Dostana 2, is no longer part of the film.
Speculations have risen on one side that the actor was kicked out because of his “unprofessional behaviour”, while other reports claimed Kartik had stepped down on his own due to “creative differences.”
A source close to Dharma Productions said to media sources, “Yes, Kartik has walked out of Dostana 2 over creative differences, even after going through the script before agreeing to do the film, and then also shooting for the film for over two weeks.”
A few other reports had said Kartik had been “acting difficult” with the filmmakers.
Media reports quoted a source from the production house as saying that the experience had not been pleasant so far. The source also confirmed the news and said, “Yes, it’s true that this project won’t have Kartik Aaryan anymore. I can’t tell you all the reasons but yes, it’s not been a pleasant experience so far, that’s all I can say. It has never happened in the history of Dharma Productions that an actor who has shot a film has been dropped.”
There were further allegations of the actor’s talent management agency not confirming shoot dates with any clarity, and the actor’s recent COVID-19 diagnosis added more to the confusion.
Soon after the news broke, Dharma Productions took to Twitter to announce that they will be recasting Dostana 2, and that an official announcement will be out soon.
They wrote, “Due to professional circumstances, on which we have decided to maintain a dignified silence - we will be recasting Dostana 2, which will be directed by Collin D’Cunha. Please wait for the official announcement soon.”
Check out the tweet here:
Earlier, Kartik Aaryan, Janhvi Kapoor and Lakshya were chosen to play the lead roles. The announcement on the cast was made by Karan Johar in 2019. The shoot for the film began in November 2019 at Amritsar, but was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Questions have also risen now on how the filmmakers will finish the rest of the movie without Kartik since half of the movie has already been shot. This could indicate a monetary loss for producers since they may have to rope in another actor and reshoot the entire film. This would also make a huge dent on the time the initial process would have taken.
Rumours also went around that Kartik Aaryan and Jahnvi Kapoor had been in a relationship and taken a break recently, which might have added more tension on the sets.
The prequel to Dostana 2 that was released in 2008 starred Priyanka Chopra, John Abraham and Abhishek Bachchan in lead roles.
Why do you think Kartik Aaryan is no longer part of Dostana 2? Let us know in the comments section: