Actor Kartik Aaryan on Tuesday said his upcoming movie "Dhamaka" gave him a chance to break away from boy-next-door roles.
Aaryan, known for hits like "Pyaar ka Punchnama" movies, "Luka Chuppi" and "Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety", has collaborated with "Aarya" creator Ram Madhvani for the thriller movie, which dropped its first trailer on Tuesday.
For the 30-year-old actor, agreeing to a film like "Dhamaka" was a no-brainer.
"What excited me more was when Ram Madhvani offered me this film (it was) life altering... I didn't ask anything much and instantly said yes. I sincerely followed him.
"You will not see me, you will see Arjun Pathak and that is all thanks to Ram sir," Aaryan told reporters here at the film's trailer launch event.
The film features Aaryan as an ambitious news anchor who sees an opportunity in a terrorist attack to get back on the top.
"Arjun Pathak for me is not a vanilla character, it's a great character. In all my characters, there has been a relatability factor and the same goes with Arjun.
"He is also very ambitious and his situations are very relatable and that's what excites me. He is not a preachy person, he is one among us, he is a real person from any field of work," Aaryan said.
After playing a role of a news anchor, the actor said he has a newfound respect for the people who work in the media industry.
Aaryan added that he has realised that the job of a mediaperson is not at all easy.
"I have started to respect you all (media). The kind of credit you should get is less, given how big and important work the media does. By doing this character, I have understood the value and how you have to be on your toes and keep yourself updated," he said.
Produced by Ronnie Screwvala's RSVP Films and Ram Madhvani Films, "Dhamaka" also stars Mrunal Thakur and Amruta Subhash.
Aaryan said he wants to continue doing the kind of films that gave him stardom but at the same time, he also wants to try his hand at intense and dramatic roles.
"I want to break away but at the same time I don't want to stop doing romantic-comedy movies. However, there are some stories to which I am very much attracted. It is becoming a great mixture.
"As an actor, I want to explore different roles and work with new directors and learn new things. In the last two years, I have got more choices with whom I can connect and I want to do those movies."
Besides "Dhamaka", Aaryan will be seen in "Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2", "Freddy", "Shehzada" and "Captain India" among others.
The actor said after spending time at home due to coronavirus-induced lockdown in the country, he has become a risk-taker.
"I didn't do any work during the lockdown, the entire year got wasted. But lockdown gave me a perspective on a lot of things and to try out new things...
"The idea is to do something different. Because of the COVID-19 scenario, I have got that risk-taking ability and want to do different stories. Also, the palette of the audience is changing," Aaryan said.
"Dhamaka" will stream on Netflix from November 19.
Aaryan said his focus is always on entertaining the audiences through his films, and he doesn't think about the platform they are releasing on.
"The audience is interested in stories and they will watch it, either in theatres or at home on TV or laptop. But they will watch it. The important thing is that the audience should watch your work. I don't think it should be a mixed slate, I just act," he added.
With streaming, Aaryan said the pressure is more about his "credibility" as an actor.
"There is box office pressure in theatres but here the pressure is of the credibility. The expectations are also high from the audience because they have seen a lot of work during this time. For actors, streaming is a good platform," Aaryan said.
