Mumbai: From battling self-doubt to trying to convince producers that he was a bankable actor, Kartik Aaryan believes he has come a long way in his Bollywood career.
Kartik says, for the longest time, he was identified as the "Punchnama boy" after his debut film.
"I wasn't a household name. I was known by my character's name or the guy who spoke very fast. I was also known as the 'monologue guy' (after his popular monologues in the 'Pyaar Ka Punchnama' series). But they weren't able to register 'Kartik' in their minds."
'Sonu Ke Titu ki Sweety' character got registered in the audience's mind to an extent that everyone wanted him in their home," Kartik said in an interview.
"Because producers didn't believe if they could make something with me, the financiers weren't excited. Reasons can be many. I have also matured with age. I was 20 when I did 'Punchnama'. Heroes aren't even launched at that age.
"'Sonu' brought me in the commercial actor zone, everyone's perspective changed after that. The biggest validation has come from my last film, 'Luka Chuppi'. To deliver a hit after the success of 'Sonu...' was a big deal for me."
The 29-year-old actor says today he has reached a position where he can choose, unlike his earlier years when options didn't exist.
"The offers haven't stopped coming since 'Luka Chuppi'. Earlier whatever I was offered, I had to choose from that. Today, there are so many options that I feel like doing everything."
Kartik, who played the lead in "Pati Patni Aur Woh" recently, believes his fans relate with his journey.
"I like the combination of 'masaala' and content is the reason why audience's relatalibity is increasing with me. Whether it's Sonu's character or the one in Pyar Ka Punchnama franchise, people feel I am one of them.
"They relate with me because they have seen my struggle and my journey and somewhere down the line, everyone relates to it. So, I think they get happy when they see I am doing films. They feel, 'Iska ghar chal raha hai," he adds.
Kartik will next be seen in the sequels of "Love Aaj Kal", "Bhool Bhulaiyaa" and "Dostana".
But the actor does not believe stardom has changed things around him much, except the lack of time.
"Till two years ago, I had so much time in life that I could go for coffee, dinners with people and now even 24 hours feel less. That lack of time makes people around me think I have changed. So, a lot of my time goes in explaining them that it's not the case.
"There was a time when I wasn't even sure if I would be able to make it to any film set and now, I was shooting for 'Dostana 2' and also promoting 'Pati Patni Aur Woh' simultaneously. I never imagined this scenario. I want to remain busy all the time."
