Kartik Aaryan to romance Sreeleela in Anurag Basu’s musical; gets a shoutout from Karan Johar: ‘All on point’

The makers have released the first look video of Anurag Basu's upcoming musical, starring Kartik Aaryan and Sreeleela, who makes her Bollywood debut in the lead role.

By: Entertainment Desk

Chennai | Updated: February 16, 2025 10:18 AM IST

3 min read

Kartik Aaryan and Sreeleela wil star in Anurag Basu's musical. (Pic: T-Series/YT)

After much speculation about who will star opposite Kartik Aaryan in filmmaker Anurag Basu’s next musical, on Saturday, the makers released the first look video of the film. The video introduces Sreeleela, in her Bollywood debut, opposite the Shehzada actor. Along with announcing Sreeleela as the female lead, the makers also unveiled Kartik’s look in the movie.

The clip shows Kartik in a rugged look, with long hair and a beard. He is dressed in a rockstar avatar as he is seen playing the guitar and crooning “Tu Meri Zindagi Hai” in front of a large audience. Following glimpses reveal the steamy romance between Kartik and Sreeleela. One glimpse shows her riding a bike with Kartik while hugging him. Subsequent clips feature them sitting outside a cozy cabin, as Kartik plays the guitar and Sreeleela listens to him intently. Another glimpse shows them sharing a tender moment atop a trailer.

Sreeleela was most recently seen in the dance number “Kissik” from Allu Arjun’s blockbuster Pushpa 2: The Rule.

Like his previous release, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 in 2024, Kartik Aaryan is also set to rule this year’s Diwali, as he announced that this film’s release will coincide with Diwali this year. Filmmaker Karan Johar took to Instagram to give a shoutout to Kartik. He shared the clip and wrote, “The beauty of love stories… the passion, the romance and the music! SuPer vibe! All on point!!! Excited.”

Karan Johar gives shoutout to Kartik Aaryan. (Pic: Karan/Instagram)

Also read | Kartik Aaryan on journey in Bollywood as an outsider: ‘I felt I should have gotten the opportunity rather than someone who is from a film family’

Earlier, it was rumoured that the makers were considering Triptii Dimri as the female lead in the film. However, due to Triptii’s ‘overexposed’ and ‘overtly sexualised’ image after her appearance in Ranbir Kapoor’s Animal, they decided to drop her from the movie. But, Anurag Basu rubbished such claims and told HT City, “Image was not the reason. I am the last person to judge an actor on the basis of the other characters they have played on screen. Aashiqui was not even the story anymore… I don’t know the source of these stories which came out. Most important thing is dates. Triptii is shooting for a film with Vishal Bhardwaj, and my film goes on floors this month too. She is still my best friend, I really like her as an actress. You should ask her too what happened.”

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