2022 was truly the year of Kartik Aaryan, there is no questioning that. The young superstar catapulted to an all-new league of stardom at a time the film industry was getting back on its feet and proved that he has what it takes to grab eyeballs and bring in the moolah.
While he dominated the romantic-comedy space for the longest time, he proved detractors wrong with a performance like ‘Freddy’, nuanced, unexpected, and convincing. By now the actor had proved that he is as versatile as it gets. Earlier in the year he gave us ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2’, the first bonafide Hindi blockbuster post-pandemic and a turning point that brought audiences back to theatres. With this, Kartik had established himself as a popular name with mass appeal that cuts across age groups and geographies.
In 2023, the star is expected to continue his dream run considering the meaty projects he has lined up this year. He flags it off with ‘Shehzada’ directed by Rohit Dhawan, another new attempt by Kartik who gets into a masala-action space, stepping into the role of a quintessential hero. The actor by now has gathered enormous fandom, fitting for the seeti-maar zone of ‘Shehzada’ and the response Kartik received after the film’s teaser was an early tell-sign of its massive box office potential. The film also reunites him with his Luka Chuppi co-star Kriti Sanon, an onscreen pairing that has been extremely loved in the past.
Kartik also has ‘Satyaprem Ki Katha’ this year, a romantic-drama with Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 co-star Kiara Advani, and considering the genre, it’s right up the actor’s alley. The film has already been making the right noise while being shot in small towns, a market that strongly relates to the actor’s films and even more so his journey.
Given that both ‘Shehzada’ and ‘Satyaprem Ki Katha’ are mass entertainers, studios seem to have solid faith in Kartik Aaryan’s bankability as a star and rightly so given the historic numbers he brought in for ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2’ at the time it did.
Then there was another storm of headlines the hearthhrob made when he was announced as the protagonist for the third installment of the highly anticipated ‘Aashiqui’ franchise. A superhit franchise with cult music now headlined by a super-hit actor with mass appeal, it seems like a match made in heaven. What makes the mix even more interesting is that it will be directed by Anurag Basu, making it the first collaboration between the filmmaker and Kartik. He will also be seen in a new avatar for his next with Kabir Khan, which is untitled still.
Trade Analyst Joginder Tuteja says, “2023 looks like a great year for Kartik Aaryan who has a solid lineup in the coming months. After cementing his position as one of the most bankable stars, not forgetting his versatility as an actor, Kartik’s dream run at the box office and opportunities to impress critics seems unstoppable at this juncture. ‘Shehzada’ and ‘Satyaprem Ki Katha’ are two of the biggest and most anticipated projects this year. Since the films are all very different from one another, it will be interesting to watch Kartik bring his signature flavor to these projects and make it his own. And if luck continues to be on his side, 2023 will also prove to be Kartik Aaryan’s year.”