Karan Wahi and Rithvik Dhanjani: We've seen the best and worst of each other

Time of India

3 days ago

Karan Wahi and Rithvik Dhanjani talk about their friendship
They met on a reality show back in 2012. But for the Delhi boy
Karan Wahi
and the MP boy
Rithvik Dhanjani
, it felt like 'long-lost friends reconnecting in some different timeline.' What began as a casual bond on a dance show turned into a friendship that's only grown stronger with time.
'We've seen the best and worst versions of each other,' they say, as they speak to us about their unbreakable bond this Friendship Day.
WHEN I FIRST MET RITHVIK I THOUGHT HE'S A CRAZIER VERSION OF ME: KARAN
'We were contestants on Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa and I already knew of Karan. He was this famous star, and I had just entered the industry. But the moment we met, it felt like we'd known each other in another life. The bond was instant, natural,' says Rithvik.
Karan remembers it the same way, and says, 'When I first saw Rithvik, I was like, ' Yeh banda kaun hai ?' Full mad energy, bouncing off the walls.
But then he opened his mouth and I thought wait, is this a crazier version of me? ( laughs ).'
EVEN WHEN WE WERE COMPETITORS HE WOULD SUPPORT ME: RITHVIK
Their friendship wasn't just about dance rehearsals and shoot breaks. It showed up in the emotional moments too. 'There was a face-off between us,' Karan shares, 'and I got eliminated. Rithvik cried. Not out of guilt, but out of pure love. It was that real. We were just 'friends' back then, but something shifted that day.'
'He believed in me from the start,' Rithvik adds.
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'Even when we were competitors he would support me with everything he had. That's rare. That's not acting – that's friendship.'
The friendship that started on a reality show eventually grew deeper – away from lights and cameras. 'Rithvik has always been a generator,' Karan says with a laugh. 'His energy, back in the day, was unmatched. He was literally skipping and hopping through life. I don't think most people could keep up with him.'
Rithvik returns the compliment, 'Wahi was, and still is, this mad, fun Delhi guy. But what blew my mind was how he kept his friends so close. I met his whole crew and realised, yeh banda yaaron ka yaar hai . He brings people together.'
'MAIN KHILADI TU ANARI DESCRIBES US BEST'
'There's a song that describes us perfectly,'says Rithvik. ' Hum dono hain alag alag, hum dono hain juda juda …' We are poles apart – but there are parts of us that complete each other. Sometimes I'm the khiladi and he's the anadi , and sometimes it's the reverse.'
Their friendship has also travelled across cities and phases of life. 'He's stayed over at my place in Delhi so many times,' Karan says. 'And Wahi knows Dubai better than I do!' Rithvik laughs and adds, 'I grew up there, but only saw the very Indian, middle-class side of it.
He's explored parts of Dubai I didn't even know existed.'
'WE'VE SEEN EACH OTHER AT OUR LOWEST'
But beyond all the cities and chaos, what matters most is what's stayed constant. 'This man has seen every version of me,' says Rithvik. 'The best and the worst. The loudest, the messiest, the lowest. And I've seen the same in him. And even then, you look at each other and say – I still want this person in my life. That's friendship.' Karan simply adds, 'I genuinely believe he has a heart of gold.'