After Dostana 2 fallout, Kartik Aaryan rejoins Dharma Productions for a new film!

An announcement has been made just days after Karan Johar stated his willingness to work with Kartik Aaryan. On Wednesday, Karan’s Dharma Productions announced a collaboration with Ekta Kapoor’s Balaji Motion Pictures on an untitled film starring Kartik and directed by Sandeep Modi.

On the occasion of Kartik’s 33rd birthday, Dharma Productions’ official social media handles announced a new collaboration with the actor. “Lights, camera, and… surprise! (emoji for clapping hands) We are excited to announce that a new story is in the works with Dharma Productions and Balaji Telefilms. This untitled film, starring Kartik Aaryan and directed by Sandeep Modi, will be released on August 15, 2025. Watch this space!”

Karan Johar also took to Instagram on Wednesday to share the news, writing, “Kicking off today with some special news on a special day! We are thrilled to announce that @dharmamovies and @balajimotionpictures will collaborate on a film directed by the incredibly talented @sandeipm. I’m also thrilled to announce the supremely talented @kartikaaryan as our lead for this story, which will be released in theatres on August 15, 2025!”

Kartik Aaryan bags a Dharma film:

He also congratulated Kartik on his birthday. “Kartik, happy birthday… May our collaboration grow from here on out and never cease to create magic on the big screen (red heart emojis),” Karan wrote. Kartik also announced the news on X (formerly Twitter). In a tweet, he said, “An unforgettable chapter of our glorious Indian history full of valour and sacrifice is now going to be part of my life ?? a subject close to my heart… super proud and excited to embark on a new journey with the extremely talented @sandeep_modi and the powerhouse #karanjohar and @EktaaRKapoor (cracker emoji).”

Initially, Kartik was cast as the lead in Colin D’Cunha’s romantic comedy Dostana 2, the sequel to Tarun Mansukhani’s 2008 blockbuster Dostana, which starred Abhishek Bachchan, John Abraham, and Priyanka Chopra. Dostana 2 was produced by Dharma Productions and starred Janhvi Kapoor and newcomer Lakshya. However, due to some conflict in the film’s set, Dostana 2 was shelved. While Kartik and Karan chose to remain silent on the matter, Dharma stated that the film would be recast and reshot.

Last year, Kartik and Ekta worked together on the Disney+ Hotstar thriller Freddy. While this is his first collaboration with Sandeep Modi, he previously worked on Netflix India’s newsroom thriller Dhamaka last year with the filmmaker’s close associate Ram Madhvani. Kartik will also appear in the film Chandu Champion.