Bollywood actor Kartik Aaryan and Ananya Panday's romantic comedy Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri released two weeks after Ranveer Singh's Dhurandhar. The film tanked badly at the box office and failed to leave a mark.
A report has now surfaced claiming that Kartik voluntarily took a pay cut following the poor box office performance of Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri.
Did Kartik Aaryan return Rs 15 crore from TMMTMTTM fees?
According to a report in Bollywood Hungama, the actor waived around Rs 15 crore from his remuneration shortly after the film's release, amid reports of its underwhelming theatrical run.
Amid buzz that Kartik has distanced himself from Karan Johar and his talent agency DCAA (Dharma Collab Artists Agency), the report quoted reliable industry sources to dismiss the rumours, calling them baseless.
"In fact, Kartik extended a gesture of support towards his producer days after the film's release by waiving off Rs 15 crore from his fee," the report read.
This isn't the first time Kartik has stood by his producers by waiving off a significant chunk of his remuneration. A few years ago, after his film Shehzada underperformed at the box office, the actor had taken a similar step. Shehzada was the official Hindi remake of the Telugu film Ala Vaikunthapurramloo, which starred Allu Arjun in the lead role.
When asked if he had cut down his remuneration or was working on a profit-share basis as a producer on Shehzada, Kartik said, "For this one, initially I was not on board as a producer. At first, I had taken my fees and remuneration. Then there was a crisis. The film was going through a crisis and they needed somebody to step up. So I asked my producer, and I gave up my money. That is how this whole thing—production and me becoming a co-producer—came into being."
Asked if he returned his remuneration, the actor added, "Almost, almost. In a way, that resulted in lessening some burden off the film. I signed the film when I had not even signed Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, so both films were hand-in-hand. Thankfully, Shehzada's budget was not much, but it is an action film, so it needed some budget. There were certain issues we were facing at one point, because of which I had to give up my remuneration."
About Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri
Sameer Vidwans's romantic comedy Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri (TMMTMTTM) reunited Kartik and Ananya, who had previously worked together in the 2019 film Pati Patni Aur Woh. The film also features Jackie Shroff and Neena Gupta in pivotal roles and has been produced by Karan Johar under his banner, Dharma Productions.
As per the latest update on Sacnilk, the film has minted over Rs 32.95 crore in two weeks of its release.
