"I would have 3-4 pills before going into the water"- Kartik on powering through viral for 'Chandu Champion'

Riding high on the huge success and critical acclaim of his last release, ‘SatyaPrem Ki Katha’ that crossed over Rs 100 crore globally at the box office so far, Kartik Aaryan is currently shooting in London for his next, ‘Chandu Champion’ being helmed by Kabir Khan. Interestingly, a photo of Kartik sporting a new short hair look from the sets of the film has also gone viral on social media. 

Spilling the beans on ‘Chandu Champion’ and his character, Kartik had mentioned in a recent interview, “There’s a lot of weight transformation you’ll see throughout the film, so there will be a gap of like 2 months for me to again bulk up. And Kabir (Khan) sir is super – the way he’s shooting it and the way he’s looking into the other details. We were shooting at the Olympian centre in London and it was really hectic because I had 102 fever and had to go in the water which was cold. Every day, I would just have 3-4 pills before going into the water then again, my viral would come back then again it would subside and then come back because I performed water scenes.” 

On the work front, the last three years have been refreshing for Kartik, though, he informs, “I’ve gotten a lot of perspective, personally. There was a lot of time which I was investing in my work, which I already do right now as well, but there was no balance in personal and professional life. I figured that during covid time because I was with my family, like literally I was staying with them and I started enjoying time with them more. It was a good time that I spent with my family after so many years. After that, I’ve been really trying to balance my life. I was literally like a robot. I was not thinking about taking a holiday. Maybe, I should experience some place. I took a lot of trips with my friends, college friends, team, solo trips… I went to Paris on a solo trip as well.”

Talking about the success of SatyaPrem Ki Katha, Kartik adds, “I love to make people cry more than laugh…  in a movie! I think SatyaPrem Ki Katha proved a lot of things. I had done these dramatic scenes before they were usually in a comedy film. For example, when you see Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety, the first 30-40 mins of the film is pure drama… it’s pure emotions between friends and there is dialogue baazi and there are scenes which make you cry for friendship, but it’s primarily a comedy film so you notice the comedy of it. You don’t notice the emotions or drama of the film as much as the comedy. Be it like ‘Luka Chupi’ which had emotional scenes but comedy took over but with Satya Prem Ki Katha, the film had a lot of sensitivity again and emotional drama.”

Kartik will be honoured at the prestigious 14th Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) with the Rising Global Superstar of Indian Cinema award this month. “It’s a huge deal for me,” informs Kartik, elaborating, “I think I’m going to Australia for the first time but the biggest deal for me is the award/ reward they’re giving me over there. It’s something I never expected so early on in my career and somewhere down the line I realise this on my visit to London as well and the solo trip that I had mentioned.”

On the work front, apart from Kabir Khan’s ‘Chandu Champion’, Kartik’s line up is as interesting as it can get. He will be next seen in ‘Aashiqui 3’ and ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3’ among a few other unannounced ones.