Bollywood star Kartik Aaryan says even though the team was confident about the commercial success of his latest release 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2', they didn't expect the movie will revive the prospects of the Hindi film industry at the box office.
Released on May 20, the Anees Bazmee directorial received a positive response from critics and audiences for its entertaining storyline and performances by Tabu, Rajpal Yadav, Kiara Advani, and Aaryan.
The movie, produced by Bhushan Kumar-led T-Series and Cine1 Studios, has raised Rs 230.75 crore worldwide, a huge relief for the Hindi film industry after box office debacles like 'Bachchan Pandey,' 'Prithviraj', 'Heropanti 2' and 'Jersey'.
"It feels really good. I didn't know that we will be able to revive the industry. We did hope the film will do well. To be honest we expected it will cross Rs 100 crore. We never thought it will cross Rs 200 crore mark. It is above our expectations," Aaryan said at a media event here.
"We were confident that the family audience will enjoy it as it is an entertaining film. What amazed me was the reaction of kids, like three-year-old children, singing 'Hare Ram...'. It all feels unreal. We never thought it will penetrate so much," he added.
The 31-year-old actor, who has recently recovered from COVID-19, said he has not been able to celebrate the success of the movie. "I haven't got time yet (to celebrate). The film is running in theatres and is even in the top five on Netflix. It is not sinking in yet as every day some new record is set. I am told 10 million people have watched the film so far, this is huge footfall," Aaryan added.
The Gwalior-born actor rose to popularity courtesy of his monologues in the romantic-comedy 'Pyaar Ka Punchnama' film franchise. He witnessed a dull phase till 'Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety' and 'Luka Chuppi' changed the course of his career.
Looking back, Aaryan said he would not like to alter anything in his life. "I would have never changed anything in this journey, like from where I started out in the industry, the ups and downs that I faced. It is a positive story for everyone... The (lesson is) self-belief and hard work should remain intact," he said.
The actor said he is currently shooting the last schedule of 'Shehzada' and will then move to Hansal Mehta's 'Captain India'. He also has an untitled musical love saga with Sameer Vidwans in the works. Aaryan said Rohit Dhawan-directed 'Shehzada', the Hindi remake of Allu Arjun-starrer 'Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo', has a different treatment than the original.
"I am shooting for the last schedule of 'Shehzada'. It is an entertainer. It is a complete package. We have adapted it and have made some changes. We have taken the basic idea... but the humor and certain things are different," he said.
[With Inputs from PTI]
