‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2’ declared blockbuster; decoding Kartik Aaryan’s success story
Actor Kartik Aaryan is currently the biggest star in Bollywood if one goes by the performance of his latest film ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2’. Aaryan has delivered the biggest opener of the year and the first blockbuster since the pandemic which has helped Bollywood in terms of business. Not just opening, the film has had a strong run at the box office too, crossing Rs 180 crores recently despite coming in the same year as many big banner films and also elbowing out various superstar-led films from the pre-pandemic era. The success of the film has truly catapulted and established Aaryan among the A-league of B-town.
Talking about the role of this superstar in the success of the film, critic and trade analyst Taran Adarsh in an interview with a leading daily said, “‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2’ is a major success at the box office and one of the prime reasons, of course, is Kartik Aaryan. While a combination led to its success, whether it was the music, the fact that there was horror and comedy which is very well integrated into this film, the way the screenplay has been woven for those two and a half hours, it most importantly Kartik Aaryan’s presence and the way he’s performed in the film that played a winning factor, it was a complete surprise. First of all, to step into another actor’s shoes in this case Akshay Kumar who was an integral part of the first ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa’, the comparisons were very obvious. But Kartik surprised everyone with his performance in this film. That’s what worked in his favour. Also, the fact that he enjoys a tremendous following not just amongst women but also among a family audience as well as the youth, that has helped the film take a fantastic opening. That factor contributed in a major way where his fan following worked and they wanted to watch him. It’s unbelievable to see BB2 doing tremendous business at the box office even after a month.”
On Kartik’s successful track record at the box office, trade expert Joginder Tuteja said, “It’s not just a splash in the pan. It’s not like Kartik Aaryan came and suddenly delivered a hit and is a saviour. He has been extremely consistent at the box office if you look at his films. With ‘Love Aaj Kal 2’ taking one of the biggest openings of its year, his film, ‘Sonu Ki Titu Ke Sweety’ crossed 100 crores and ‘Luka Chuppi’ and ‘Pati Patni Aur Woh’ were also superhits on the big screen. So out of his last 5 movies, he has delivered 4 big hits and that pretty much establishes that he’s a superstar. He is finding love amongst the family audiences also, amongst the youth, amongst the kids as well.”
Experts also comment how Kartik Aaryan is a self-made superstar. The actor entered the industry with a bag full of Bollywood dreams and no connections in the film industry and has always delivered hits mostly with newer and more debutant directors. Even ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2’ was actually Anees Bazmee’s first after a long sabbatical.
Adds Taran Adarsh, “Kartik Aaryan comes without the baggage of a godfather or a father who’s a producer or a financier or someone who is connected to films, he is a self-made star and that’s what people like about this guy. He’s played his character in ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2’ completely to conviction and if you look at his career graph he’s played a different kinds of roles and delivered versatile performances over the years and most of his films have done very well at the box office. I think this is just the beginning and Kartik is going to taste bigger success in times to come.”
Adds Joginder Tuteja, “With ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2’ it is apparent that Kartik Aaryan has consolidated his position in the top league and with ‘Shehzada’ coming in now, I’m pretty positive that it’s going to be another big one! Kartik Aaryan will further reaffirm his superstardom.”
