Soon to be 34 and only 16 films old, the boy from Gwalior has had a terrific year. Even if Chandu Champion—the biopic of army-man and Paralympian Murlikant Petkar—didn’t do wonders at the box office, it allowed Aaryan a chance to work with Kabir Khan and put his dramatic and athletic prowess on glorious display.
I had met him for an interview in 2019 ahead of Luka Chuppi, a family-comedy directed by Laxman Utekar that he was starring in along with Kriti Sanon. Fresh off the bumper success of Luv Ranjan’s Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety, Aaryan was basking in its afterglow. A rank outsider in the Hindi film industry, he was being compared to Shah Rukh Khan, another nobody who made it big in the Maximum City, against all odds.
When I asked him what success tasted like, he flashed his toothy grin and said, “My time suddenly has a lot more value,” almost not believing it himself. He had had hits before but they were largely the two Pyaar Ka Punchnama films, buddy comedies from the male perspective, quick to barrage and berate women.
As revered as those films were among incels and jilted lovers, their combined popularity paled in comparison to the cultural and box-office disruption that Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety (2018) brought about. Aaryan played Sonu, the brother like best friend to Sunny Singh’s malleable Titu who would go to any length to ensure his wellbeing. Another Love Ranjan film, it touched a raw nerve, giving an entire generation of young Indians a new, updated version of Jai and Veeru. Suddenly Tera Yaar Hoon Main blared through every loud speaker. Along with the movie’s other songs Bom Diggy Diggy, Chote Chote Peg and Dil Chori, it became a wedding staple.
When I asked Aaryan if he felt the pressure of success, he confessed, “I hope I don’t end up being a one-film wonder. I hope Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety was not a fluke and that I have a lot more in me.”
Coronavirus was yet to bring the world to a screeching halt. Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 was three years away. He didn’t know then that he would be among the first few actors with a pull so strong, he’d get people out of their homes and into the theaters again after a crippling two-year lull. He had no idea that he would go on to work with giants such as Imtiaz Ali, Kabir Khan, Ram Madhvani, Tabu, Vidya Balan, and Madhuri Dixit. He was yet to be labelled a hit-maker and the Savior of Bollywood.
Between then and now, Aaryan has expanded this palette sizably, balancing potboilers with smaller, riskier projects. After every Bhool Bhulaiyaa, Satyaprem Ki Katha (2023) and Pati Patni Aur Woh (2019), he does a film like Dhamaka (2021) or Freddy (2022). Of course, there have been several duds along the way. Early on in his career, there was Akaash Vani (2013), then came Kaanchi: The Unbreakable (2014), next Guest iin London (2017), followed by the infamous Love Aaj Kal (2020), and finally, Shehzada (2023), the bloated, dispirited remake of the Telugu film Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo. All of them tanked without a trace.
However, like the indefatigable Phoenix, he rose from the ashes each time and pivoted in a direction hitherto uncharted to see what it had in store for him. On one such winding road, he met Anees Bazmi and Bhushan Kumar. Together they revived the lore of a beloved 2007 horror-comedy and turned it into a goldmine. Aaryan hasn’t looked back since.
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 is Aaryan’s biggest opener yet, entering the coveted ₹100 crore club within the first weekend. It has already become the fourth-highest Hindi grosser of this year. If it continues its dream run at the box office, it is likely to leave behind Singham Again and Fighter, securing the second spot, next only to Stree 2.
During a talk hosted by Film Companion in a packed auditorium, when Aaryan was asked what he’d like to tell his younger self, he laughed and said, “Itni tension mat le. Hero ban jayega.”
It is this relatability, this ease of being that’s Aaryan’s superpower. He makes you root for him. This is why his success feels personal. He gives you hope, he makes you believe. If he can come out of the woodworks and shine brighter than the shiniest nepo-kid, so can you.
