Kartik Aaryan is basking in the success of his recently released movie, Chandu Champion, which is directed by Kabir Khan. Filmmaker Karan Johar, who had a fallout with Kartik due to Dostana 2, is also a fan of the actor’s new film. He even called it Kartik’s ‘career-best performance’. Also read: Katrina Kaif and Vicky Kaushal share glowing reviews of Chandu Champion; call Kartik Aaryan ‘spectacular’
Sharing a poster of the film on Instagram Stories, Karan wrote, “Kabir Khan directs this brave and inspiring life tale like a love letter to the human spirit! Kartik Aaryan gives his career-best performance with a humane and honest portrayal… a must-watch.” Reacting to his gesture, Kartik said on Instagram Stories, “Thank you Karan. Means a lot.”
Kartik and Karan’s equation
Karan Johar’s fallout with Kartik Aaryan on the sets of Dostana 2 is well-known. Karan signed Kartik as one of the leads in his production, Dostana 2, the sequel to the 2008 romantic comedy, Dostana. Kartik was to star alongside Janhvi Kapoor and newcomer Lakshya in the sequel being directed by Collin D’Cunha.
However, reportedly as a result of Kartik throwing his weight around on the sets, he was dropped from the film. Dharma Productions had then issued a statement announcing that the film was shelved and would be recast and reshot later. Kartik, Janhvi, and others have remained mum about the reasons behind the shelving of Dostana 2.
Kartik and Karan reunited at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne in August last year and their photos were widely shared on social media. Moreover, the two were also spotted chatting at an award show last year.
On Kartik’s 33rd birthday last year, Karan announced that he will produce a film starring the actor. Without sharing the details, Karan wrote, “Kickstarting today with some special news on a special day! Extremely thrilled to announce Dharma Movies and Balaji Motion Pictures coming together for a film helmed by the exceptionally talented Sandeep Modi. I find myself elated to also announce the supremely talented Kartik Aaryan as our lead for this story that will unfold in cinemas on 15th August, 2025.”
Shabana Azmi also loved Kartik’s Chandu Champion
Chandu Champion tells the tale of a determined athlete. Kartik Aaryan portrays Chandu in this film, which is based on the life of Murlikant Petkar, India’s first Paralympic gold medalist in freestyle swimming. From fans to critics, members of the film industry and audiences, Kartik has been receiving praise.
Recently, veteran actor Shabana Azmi, too, appreciated Kartik. Sharing a picture with Kartik from the screening of the film, Shabana took to Instagram and wrote, “I was deeply moved by Kabir Khan’s film Chandu Champion, and I loved Kartik Aryan’s portrayal. He played it with an almost child determination with an extremely winsome smile which prevented him from projecting it as arrogance. Vijay Raaz as the coach is very effective. It’s a real-life story, and I say Salaam (salute) Kabir for making it his lifetime so he got to watch it with his family. Here am I with Kaartik at a special screening organised by Excel Entertainment.”
