Kartik Aaryan's film delayed due to Saiyaara? Anurag Basu breaks silence

India Today

2 days ago

'Aashiqui' sequel or not, anticipation is high around Anurag Basu and Kartik Aaryan coming together for a romantic film. Basu, fresh off the success of 'Metro... In Dino', will present Kartik in a never-seen-before avatar in a musical drama, alongside South sensation Sreeleela. The yet-to-be-titled film was initially slated for a Diwali release; however, it will now hit theatres only in 2026. As fans speculated the reason behind the delay, many in the industry believed that the success of Mohit Suri's Saiyaara prompted the makers to push the release.advertisementAn industry source shared that certain themes and elements in Kartik Aaryan's film are similar to 'Saiyaara', with both stories revolving around rising music stars and their star-crossed love stories. With audiences continuing to lap up the music and performances from 'Saiyaara', the team behind the new film reportedly wanted to avoid any direct comparisons. As a result, certain portions were reportedly rewritten, and the team was planning to reshoot them.However, speaking exclusively to India Today, director Anurag Basu denied these claims. He revealed that he had been aware of Mohit Suri's script for a long time, and the story was no surprise to him. "Given that both films feature performers as central characters, we knew comparisons would be drawn. But the two films are completely different from each other," Basu said.
The filmmaker, though, did confirm the delay in the film's release, but attributed it to other reasons. 'Kartik was busy with Karan Johar's film ('Tu Meri Main Tera, Main Tera Tu Meri'), and I was also occupied with Metro's release. We'll soon move on to our next schedule and aim to wrap the film soon,' Anurag Basu added.While not much has been revealed about the Kartik Aaryan–Anurag Basu film, it is said to be a spiritual sequel to the 'Aashiqui' franchise. Due to the ongoing legal battle with Vishesh Films, T-Series may not have secured rights to the Aashiqui title yet. However, audiences will hear the franchise's iconic title track in the new film, albeit in a revamped version. The chemistry between Kartik and Sreeleela is also being touted as a major highlight. The team is reportedly pumped up about delivering a romance that will be remembered for years to come. As of now, they are looking at an early 2026 release.Interestingly, Saiyaara was also initially developed by Mohit Suri as a part of the 'Aashiqui' lineage; however, that could not be materialised. Given this shared connection, it's only natural that some thematic similarities will exist.While Anurag Basu has dismissed suggestions that his film's delay is a 'Saiyaara' casualty, industry sources maintain that Son of Sardaar 2 was indeed impacted. The Ajay Devgn-starrer was originally set to release on July 25, but the team announced on Saturday that it has been pushed by a week, to August 1. While no official reason was cited, sources confirm that, given Saiyaara's box-office rampage, the makers did not want to disturb its momentum or get steamrolled by it. The move is intended to give Son of Sardaar 2 a clearer window for release and a better chance at performing in cinemas.- EndsYou May Also Like