Pyaar Ka Punchnama to Bhool Bhulaiyaa, Kartik Aaryan's blockbuster bond with sequels

Kartik Aaryan

Kartik Aaryan scored his biggest box office success with his latest film 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3'. The success of the film gave him his first Rs 200 crore film as well. He joined the 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa' universe with its second part which was released in 2022 right after the pandemic. The film was a smash hit at the box office and audiences wholeheartedly welcomed Kartik as Rooh baba despite an initial reluctance of him replacing Akshay Kumar. The actor who has now become a bankable box office favourite has two franchise films in his kitty- Anurag Basu's Aashiqui 3 and Pati Patni Aur Woh 2. While one will see Kartik as the new face, the other will see him return to the franchise.

Kartik's blockbuster sequel bond

Kartik Aaryan's claim to fame was also with the success of the 'Pyaar Ka Punchnama' franchise directed by Luv Ranjan. The films made him popular among the youth and also earned him the title of the monologue boy. Both films, had him play the role of a man who is tired of dealing with his girlfriend and his frustration coming out as a monologue explaining relationship problems.

Kartik's fourth film with Luv Ranjan, 'Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety' marked his first film crossing Rs 100 crore at the box office. While the film was not part of the Pyaar Ka Punchnama franchise, the cast and the plot's similarity to the series helped in getting the audience come to the theatre.

In 2019, he starred in the film 'Pati Patni Aur Woh' which also starred Bhumi Pednekar and Ananya Panday. In the film he played a corporate man married to a woman in an arranged setup. The film narrates his story as he develops a relationship with a woman he meets at work and is quite different from his wife. The film had a decent run at the box office and is currently in works for a sequel titled 'Pati Patni Aur Woh 2'.

But his real success with a franchise film came with Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 in 2022 directed by Anees Bazmee. Looking at the reception towards the film, the makers announced a part 3 and the film shattered several box office records despite a clash with Singham Again.

Kartik is the next face of Aashiqui 3, a successful romantic franchise that earlier featured Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor. The third part in the franchise will be helmed by Anurag Basu.

The sequel misses

Kartik was also the face of Imtiaz Ali's famed Love Aaj Kal that was released in 2020. While the film was not being promoted as the sequel to the film of the same name starring Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone, its essence was the same. The film also starred Sara Ali Khan narrated the story of love in today's time (2020). However, the film failed to impress the audience and proved to be a disaster.

On the other hand, Kartik was also announced as the new entrant in the Hera Pheri universe. Back then it was reported that he would be replacing Akshay Kumar's character of Raju. However, a massive social media outrage ensued by fans of the franchise who demanded Akshay return to the franchise. Listening to the audience, the makers got Akshay on board replacing Kartik.