Karan Johar on his patch-up with Kartik Aaryan post Dostana 2 fiasco: ‘Within a family kabhi kabhi gile shikwe…'

Hindustan Times

2 days ago

Back in 2019, Bollywood heartthrob Kartik Aaryan and ace filmmaker Karan Johar left audiences ecstatic when they announced their first collaboration — Dostana 2. The sequel to Abhishek Bachchan, John Abraham and Priyanka Chopra Jonas' 2008 rom com was also supposed to star Janhvi Kapoor and newcomer Lakshya, who later made his debut with Kill (2023). You can imagine the excitement around the film! So fans were obviously heartbroken when it fell apart and Kartik exited the project, giving rise to rumours of a fall-out with KJo. However, they patched up over the years and are now working on two films together. But how did they decide to bury the hatchet?
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In a recent chat with Bollywood Hungama, Karan Johar got candid about his patch-up with Kartik Aaryan. KJo shared, 'I think that we internally discussed it, worked it out, and we let bygones be bygones. And Kartik's an immensely hard-working, very connective big star today who has a wide audience base, has a great instinct on screenplay. He and I met, collaborated, decided to come together, it was all kosher, all lovely. And I've had, he's had, I've had, we've all had our issues with each other, but it's a tiny industry, which I call a family and I believe that within a family kabhi kabhi gile shikwe ho jaate hain. Par at the end of the day, you know, good people want to make good films and come together to create good content and you have to let, as I said, you don't sweat the small stuff. We have the larger vision to look at.'
While Dostana 2 is not being revived any time soon, Kartik and Karan have joined forces for other exciting projects. The first on the list is Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri, starring Kartik and Ananya Panday in the lead, which is set to arrive in theatres on February 13, 2026 right before Valentine's Day. The other is Naagzilla, which will also be backed by KJo. In this supernatural film, Kartik will be seen as an Ichchadhari Naag. We wish the duo all the luck and love!