Kartik Aaryan talks about his struggle in Humans of Bombay post: ‘I couldn’t afford a portfolio, would crop my face out of group photos’ | Bollywood - Hindustan Times
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Kartik Aaryan talks about his struggle in Humans of Bombay post: ‘I couldn’t afford a portfolio, would crop my face out of group photos’

Hindustan Times | ByHT Correspondent
Dec 03, 2019 04:13 PM IST

Even after his debut film Pyaar Ka Punchnama (2011) was a success at the box office, Kartik Aaryan did not get a lot of offers.

Kartik Aaryan, who is riding on the success of back-to-back hits, is a hot favourite right now, with filmmakers queuing up outside his door. However, his journey has not been easy and he has witnessed his fair share of struggles.

Kartik Aaryan, who made his debut with Pyaar Ka Punchnama, opened up about his struggle.
Kartik Aaryan, who made his debut with Pyaar Ka Punchnama, opened up about his struggle.

In an interaction with Humans Of Bombay, Kartik revealed that he realised his acting dreams after watching Shah Rukh Khan in Baazigar. “I was born in the small town of Gwalior. My parents were in the medical field & I was going to do engineering. But in 9th grade, I saw Baazigar & I knew I wanted to be on the other side of the screen,” he said.

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To set his acting career in motion, Kartik decided to shift base to Mumbai and go to college there. “Luckily I got into a college in Navi Mumbai. I stayed in a hostel & searched for auditions. I had no contacts, so I’d type keywords like, ‘Actor Needed’ on Facebook. I’d travel for 6 hours 3-4 times a week for auditions. At times, I’d be rejected from outside the studio because I didn’t ‘look the part’. But I still had hope,” he said.

Kartik revealed that he did not even have the funds to get a portfolio made. “I had limited finances. I couldn’t even afford a portfolio—I’d crop my face out of group photos to send to agents! All the while I’d skip college to give auditions & my parents didn’t know about any of this,” he said.

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It was an advertisement for an audition that led Kartik to bag Pyaar Ka Punchnama. “They liked me & auditioned me many times. My final audition script was the monologue that then became my identity! Finally, when I got the role, I was at Andheri station & immediately called my mom! She couldn’t believe it! After 2 & a half years of struggle, what I had imagined as a possibility, was now a reality.”

Despite Pyaar Ka Punchnama being a sleeper hit, Kartik was not immediately inundated with offers. “I stayed in the same flat with 12 boys till my third film! At the time, my mom was adamant I finish my degree, so while shooting, I gave my exams—& people in the exam hall were clicking photos with me! But I understood that she wanted my future to be secure.”

However, the success of Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety turned things around for Kartik. “Life has come full circle now—recently when I was in Gwalior, I was invited to my school as chief guest & kids were chanting my name! It was surreal!” he said.

 

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"I was born in the small town of Gwalior. My parents were in the medical field & I was going to do engineering. But in 9th grade, I saw Baazigar & I knew I wanted to be on the other side of the screen. I was unsure of my parents’ reaction—so I decided to study till 12th in Gwalior & then go to college in Mumbai. Luckily I got into a college in Navi Mumbai. I stayed in a hostel & searched for auditions. I had no contacts, so I’d type keywords like, ‘Actor Needed’ on Facebook. I’d travel for 6 hours 3-4 times a week for auditions. At times, I’d be rejected from outside the studio because I didn’t ‘look the part’. But I still had hope. Soon I got projects like a few seconds in an ad & they kept me going. Eventually I rented a flat in Andheri with 12 boys. I had limited finances. I couldn’t even afford a portfolio—I’d crop my face out of group photos to send to agents! All the while I’d skip college to give auditions & my parents didn’t know about any of this. Once I saw an ad for a film audition & decided to go for it. They liked me & auditioned me many times. My final audition script was the monologue that then became my identity! Finally, when I got the role, I was at Andheri station & immediately called my mom! She couldn’t believe it! After 2 & a half years of struggle, what I had imagined as a possibility, was now a reality. After Pyaar Ka Punchama, there still weren’t many opportunities. I stayed in the same flat with 12 boys till my third film! At the time, my mom was adamant I finish my degree, so while shooting, I gave my exams—& people in the exam hall were clicking photos with me! But I understood that she wanted my future to be secure. After Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety, it all changed! Life has come full circle now—recently when I was in Gwalior, I was invited to my school as chief guest & kids were chanting my name! It was surreal! But what I have today, would’ve never come my way, if I hadn’t believed that I’d make it. I’m grateful for where I am & I know I have a long way to go. Sometimes all of it still feels unbelievable—from this point on, the possibilities just seem endless & my dreams, are just waiting to come true."

A post shared by Humans of Bombay (@officialhumansofbombay) on

Right now, Kartik has a slew of interesting projects in his kitty, including Imtiaz Ali’s Love Aaj Kal sequel, Anees Bazmee’s Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 and Collin D’Cunha’s Dostana 2. He will be seen next on the big screen in Mudassar Aziz’s Pati Patni Aur Woh, alongside Bhumi Pednekar and Ananya Panday.

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