Kartik Aaryan shared this photo. (Image courtesy: kartikaaryan)
Highlights
- "You act in front of the mirror and nail it every time," wrote Kartik
- "The world of movies seems magical," he added
- "The first few years become about trying not to look nervous," wrote Kart
Acting in films is far more different and difficult than practicing acting in front of a mirror, take it from Kartik Aaryan, who spent his initial years in the film industry trying "not to look nervous." Kartik, who made his debut in Bollywood with the 2011 film Pyaar Ka Punchnama, revealed in his latest post how "unnerved" he was when he faced the camera that was "bigger than the suitcase" he brought with himself when he came to Mumbai to make a career in acting. "When you first dream of being in films, you act in front of the mirror and nail it every time, and the world of movies seems magical. Then you get a movie. You see the camera and are unnerved. It's bigger than the suitcase you brought to Mumbai," wrote Kartik.
"The bright lights seem to be scolding you for not landing on a one-inch tape mark and wasting everyone's time. The first few years become about trying not to look nervous," he added.
Kartik, in his post, added how his career changed after he signed a film with Imtiaz Ali. The actor, who has worked with Imtiaz in his last film Love Aaj Kal, was all praise for the director for all good reasons - from his unique style of filmmaking to providing a comfortable environment to his actors. He wrote in his post: "Then you get an Imtiaz Ali movie. The moment he narrates the story, you are pulled into a dream. I don't even remember seeing the camera on his set, he'd always be standing wherever I looked after cut. He was never at the monitor, he was by my side. The lights on Imtiaz Ali's set help you find those tape marks. I have never experienced the kind of love and appreciation I have got for my performance in Love Aaj Kal and that too from some of my favourite filmmakers and people I most respect in the industry."
The 2020's Love Aaj Kal was a sequel to Imtiaz's 2009 Love Aaj Kal, which starred Deepika Padukone and Saif Ali Khan in the lead roles. The sequel featured Kartik Aaryan and Sara Ali Khan as the leads.
Kartik played a double role in Love Aaj Kal and he gives Imtiaz Ali the credit for making the whole shooting "effortless" and helping him transition between Veer and Raghu (his characters in the film) "smoothly". "How ironic that the making of this film felt most effortless! It would scare me to think of doing two characters in one movie. And here, I didn't even realise how smoothly I was being transitioned between #Veer and #Raghu. For an actor, there is no better environment than being In front of that mirror. Imtiaz Ali takes you there. This is the reason why so many great actors' greatest performances have been in Imtiaz Ali films," added Kartik.
The actor signed off his post by calling Imtiaz Ali a magician for bringing out "greatest performances" from actors in his film. He wrote: "This is the reason why so many great actors' greatest performances have been in Imtiaz Ali films. Imtiaz Ali director nahi hain, jadugar hain! Thank you sir for giving me the best performance of my career yet."
Check out Kartik Aaryan's post here:
When you first dream of being in films, you act in front of the mirror and nail it every time, and the world of movies seems magical.Then you get a movie. You see the camera and are unnerved. It's bigger than the suitcase you brought to Mumbai. The bright lights seem to be scolding you for not landing on a one inch tape mark and wasting everyones time. The first few years become about trying not to look nervous. Then you get an Imtiaz Ali movie. The moment he narrates the story, you are pulled into a dream. I don't even remember seeing the camera on his set, he'd always be standing wherever I looked after cut. He was never at the monitor, he was by my side. The lights on Imtiaz Ali's set help you find those tape marks. I have never experienced the kind of love and appreciation I have got for my performance in Love Aaj Kal, and that too from some of my favourite filmmakers and people I most respect in the industry. How ironic that the making of this film felt most effortless! It would scare me to think of doing two characters in one movie. And here, I didn't even realise how smoothly I was being transitioned between #Veer and #Raghu . For an actor, there is no better environment than being In front of that mirror. Imtiaz Ali takes you there. This is the reason why so many great actors' greatest performances have been in Imtiaz Ali films. Imtiaz Ali director nahi hain, jadugar hain! Thank you sir for giving me the best performance of my career yet. @imtiazaliofficial #LoveAajKal
A post shared by KARTIK AARYAN (@kartikaaryan) on
Kartik has, on several occasions, talked about his journey in Bollywood. Last year, in a post for social media blog Humans Of Bombay, the actor revealed that he continued to live with 12 boys in a flat till his third film - Kaanchi: The Unbreakable - released. "I'd travel for 6 hours 3-4 times a week for auditions. At times, I'd be rejected from outside the studio because I didn't 'look the part.' But I still had hope. Soon I got projects like a few seconds in an advertisement and they kept me going. Eventually, I rented a flat in Andheri with 12 boys. I had limited finances. I couldn't even afford a portfolio - I'd crop my face out of group photos to send to agents! After two-and-a-half years of struggle, what I had imagined as a possibility was now a reality. After Pyaar Ka Punchnama, there still weren't many opportunities. I stayed in the same flat with 12 boys till my third film!" read an excerpt from his post. Read the full post here:
"I was born in the small town of Gwalior. My parents were in the medical field & I was going to do engineering. But in 9th grade, I saw Baazigar & I knew I wanted to be on the other side of the screen. I was unsure of my parents' reaction-so I decided to study till 12th in Gwalior & then go to college in Mumbai. Luckily I got into a college in Navi Mumbai. I stayed in a hostel & searched for auditions. I had no contacts, so I'd type keywords like, 'Actor Needed' on Facebook. I'd travel for 6 hours 3-4 times a week for auditions. At times, I'd be rejected from outside the studio because I didn't 'look the part'. But I still had hope. Soon I got projects like a few seconds in an ad & they kept me going. Eventually I rented a flat in Andheri with 12 boys. I had limited finances. I couldn't even afford a portfolio-I'd crop my face out of group photos to send to agents! All the while I'd skip college to give auditions & my parents didn't know about any of this. Once I saw an ad for a film audition & decided to go for it. They liked me & auditioned me many times. My final audition script was the monologue that then became my identity! Finally, when I got the role, I was at Andheri station & immediately called my mom! She couldn't believe it! After 2 & a half years of struggle, what I had imagined as a possibility, was now a reality. After Pyaar Ka Punchama, there still weren't many opportunities. I stayed in the same flat with 12 boys till my third film! At the time, my mom was adamant I finish my degree, so while shooting, I gave my exams-& people in the exam hall were clicking photos with me! But I understood that she wanted my future to be secure. After Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety, it all changed! Life has come full circle now-recently when I was in Gwalior, I was invited to my school as chief guest & kids were chanting my name! It was surreal! But what I have today, would've never come my way, if I hadn't believed that I'd make it. I'm grateful for where I am & I know I have a long way to go. Sometimes all of it still feels unbelievable-from this point on, the possibilities just seem endless & my dreams, are just waiting to come true."
A post shared by Humans of Bombay (@officialhumansofbombay) on
Kartik Aaryan has featured in several films till now, including Akaash Vani, Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2, Luka Chuppi, Guest Iin London, Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety and Pati Patni Aur Woh. He has a couple of films in the pipeline such as Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 and Dostana 2.