“It’s as if you have no value”, Kartik Aaryan opens up about being rejected for movies and more on Yuvaa’s Be A Man, Yaar!
In an honest conversation with Nikhil Taneja on Yuvaa’s Positive Masculinity show, ‘Be A Man, Yaar’ season 2, Kartik Aaryan recalls dealing with rejections for movie auditions, his low phases, his first heartbreak, and doing Pyaar Ka Punchnama 3
Mumbai, July 2024: It is said that Men don’t express themselves but how often do we provide a space for them to express their feelings is the question. Yuvaa’s Positive Masculinity show, ‘Be A Man, Yaar!’ is a safe space for men to express themselves, be vulnerable, and hold the most honest conversations. After delivering a successful first season, Media Entrepreneur and Co-Founder of Yuvaa, Nikhil Taneja is back with season 2 of ‘Be A Man, Yaar’, where the first episode features actor, Kartik Aaryan, who opened up about his struggles during auditions and the rejections that came along with it.
In the conversation with Nikhil, the ‘Chandu Champion’ actor recalled how he felt when facing rejection after his movie auditions and said, “It was very harsh. It’s like you don’t exist. Lagta tha ki aapki koi value hai nahi.” The fear of being identified as “unfit” led him to be frustrated with the entire process of auditions. When asked about what kept him going despite the rejections, he added that the “rare” love the audience has given him has kept him going. “My loneliness has been compensated by my fans”
Kartik also spoke about getting “bitter” during his early days in the film industry because of how tough it is for outsiders to get noticed, “Main line mein laga hoon aur dusro ko line mein lagne ki zarurat bhi nahi padh rahi…” Adding how it added to his frustration, he quipped, “Wahan chai pi rahe haim jahan main auditions de raha hoon. There was never an even playing field. Aur wo toh aaj bhi rehta hai.”
During their discussion on Kartik’s challenging life experiences, host Nikhil Taneja asked the actor about his initial heartbreaks. The star recalled, "My first heartbreak was in school. I couldn't muster the courage to express my feelings; I simply smiled at her." However, the most profound heartbreak came during college. "My girlfriend told me she couldn't be with me if I pursued acting. She said she couldn't handle the life of an actor."
Amidst the tough conversations, on ‘Be A Man, Yaar’ season 2, Kartik also talked about his fond memories with his family, praised his sister for maturely handling his success, challenges he faced during the initial years of becoming an actor, opened up about his mother’s cancer, which his darkest phase, and more. He opened up on the times he cried a lot, and reflected on emotional moments in his journey too, particularly the first day people identified him by his own name after ‘Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety’.
Kartik also gave his point of view on the conversations around misogyny of his monologues during ‘Pyaar Ka Punchnama’, and said if the script is good, he will do a ‘Pyaar Ka Punchnama 3’ today as well.
The first episode of #BeAManYaar with Nikhil Taneja is available on Yuvaa’s YouTube channel. The show is powered by The Man Company. You can also listen to the extended unfiltered episodes on Amazon Music.
About Nikhil Taneja:
Nikhil Taneja is a Mumbai-based media entrepreneur known for his contribution to media, mental health and gender advocacy, and youth impact with passion. Co-founding Yuvaa, India’s first Gen Z-driven media organisation, Nikhil leads a movement of impact, collaborating with esteemed brands, non-profits, and policy entities to empower India's youth through storytelling and community engagement.
His commitment to reshaping conversations about masculinity shines through his popular show, "Be A Man, Yaar," fostering difficult conversations with influential figures like Karan Johar and Vicky Kaushal on mental health and positive masculinity. The show serves as a catalyst for important dialogues. Beyond creative pursuits, Nikhil advocates globally, serving on the Board of Directors for international non-profit Girl Rising and contributing to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's Goalkeepers initiative.
About Yuvaa:
Yuvaa is India's first Gen-Z-driven youth media, insights, and impact organization. Yuvaa believes in making important things interesting for young people, and works with the world’s leading brands and non-profits like Meta, Amazon, Netflix, Spotify, IBM, Tinder, YouTube, UNICEF, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Save the Children, and more, across verticals of research, content, social media, college activations and events. Yuvaa creates meaningful content online and starts meaningful conversations offline on urgent youth issues like mental health, gender, sexuality, misinformation, and many more.
