Kartik Aaryan

Kartik Aaryan (born 22 November 1990) is an Indian actor who works mainly in Hindi cinema. His awards include a National Film Award and a Filmfare Award, both for the sports biopic Chandu Champion (2024). His highest-grossing films so far are the horror comedies Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 (2022) and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 (2024).

Early life and background

Aaryan was born Kartik Tiwari in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh. Both his parents are doctors. He studied at St. Paul's School in Gwalior and then moved to Mumbai to study biotechnology engineering at D.Y. Patil University. While in college he modelled and went to film auditions. He also took an acting course at the Kreating Charakters institute. He finished his engineering degree after his first film was released.

Career

Early work (2011–2017)

Aaryan found the casting call for his first film on Facebook. In Luv Ranjan's buddy comedy Pyaar Ka Punchnama (2011), his four-minute monologue was one of the longest single shots in a Hindi film up to then. The film became a sleeper hit. His next two films, the romance Akaash Vani (2013) and Subhash Ghai's Kaanchi (2014), did not do well commercially. Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2 (2015), which had an even longer seven-minute monologue, was a major financial success. The comedy Guest iin London followed in 2017.

Breakthrough (2018–2021)

His breakthrough came with Ranjan's Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety (2018). He played Sonu, a man who tries to break up his best friend's engagement. The film grossed ₹1.5 billion, and he won the Zee Cine Award for Best Actor in a Comic Role. In 2019 he starred in two hits: the small-town satire Luka Chuppi, shot in his hometown of Gwalior, and a remake of Pati Patni Aur Woh. Each grossed more than ₹1 billion. In Imtiaz Ali's Love Aaj Kal (2020) he played two roles, and in 2021 he played against type in the Netflix thriller Dhamaka, which was shot in ten days.

Bhool Bhulaiyaa and a change of pace (2022–present)

In Anees Bazmee's Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 (2022) he played Rooh Baba, a fake psychic. The film was his biggest hit up to that point. Later that year he took the title role of a socially awkward dentist in the thriller Freddy, released on Disney+ Hotstar. In 2023 he appeared in Shehzada, on which he is also credited as a producer, and the romantic drama Satyaprem Ki Katha.

In Kabir Khan's Chandu Champion (2024) he played Murlikant Petkar, a soldier who went on to win Paralympic gold. He trained in swimming and boxing for the role. The performance won him the Filmfare Award for Best Actor and the National Film Award for Best Actor, which he shared with Mammootty. He played Rooh Baba again in Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 (2024), which grossed ₹4.17 billion worldwide. It was the second-highest-grossing Hindi film of the year and is his biggest release to date. In 2025 he starred in the Dharma Productions romantic comedy Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri.

Selected filmography

• 2011 — Pyaar Ka Punchnama — Lead
• 2015 — Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2 — Lead
• 2018 — Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety — Sonu
• 2019 — Luka Chuppi — Lead
• 2019 — Pati Patni Aur Woh — Philandering husband
• 2021 — Dhamaka — Lead
• 2022 — Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 — Rooh Baba
• 2022 — Freddy — Freddy
• 2023 — Satyaprem Ki Katha — Lead
• 2024 — Chandu Champion — Murlikant Petkar
• 2024 — Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 — Rooh Baba
• 2025 — Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri — Lead

Awards and honours

• National Film Award for Best Actor (shared) — Chandu Champion
• Filmfare Award for Best Actor — Chandu Champion
• IIFA Award for Best Actor — Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3
• Zee Cine Award for Best Actor in a Comic Role — Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety and Pati Patni Aur Woh
• Zee Cine Critics Award for Best Actor – Male — Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2
• Stardust Award for Best Actor in a Comic Role — Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2

Recent and upcoming work

Aaryan's next film is a romantic drama directed by Anurag Basu, co-starring Sreeleela, which does not yet have a title. He has also co-hosted award shows, including the 2018 IIFA Awards with Ayushmann Khurrana and the 2019 Zee Cine Awards with Vicky Kaushal.