The teaser for Anurag Basu’s yet-untitled musical starring Kartik Aaryan and Sreeleela has prompted speculations about the upcoming film being the third instalment in the Aashiqui franchise.
The video introduces Sreeleela, who is set to make her Bollywood debut as Kartik’s love interest in the upcoming film. It shows Kartik in a rugged avatar, with long hair and beard. He appears as a rockstar, who plays the guitar and croons the song Tu Meri Zindagi Hai in front of a large group of people.
In the next scene, Sreeleela and Kartik are seen riding a bike. We also see them sitting outside a cabin in the woods as Kartik plays the guitar and Sreeleela rests her head on his shoulder. Another scene shows them spending time together on top of a trailer.
Following the release of the teaser, many fans flooded the comments section with their excitement about the upcoming film. “Ashiqui 3?” asked a fan, dropping a puppy eyes emoji. “Your look and the music. Blockbuster,” another fan commented. “All the feels,” an Instagram user said.
The female lead in Aashiqui 2, starring Aditya Roy Kapur, was played by Shraddha Kapoor. Previously, rumours were rife about Animal actress Triptii Dimri featuring in the film opposite Kartik Aaryan. However, it was said that she was dropped from the film due to her ‘overexposed’ and ‘overtly sexualised’ image after her appearance in Ranbir Kapoor’s Animal. Several users expressed their discontentment over the casting of actress Sreeleela instead of Triptii.
Director Anurag Basu had rubbished these rumours in an interview. “Image was not the reason. I am the last person to judge an actor on the basis of the other characters they have played on screen. Aashiqui was not even the story anymore… I don’t know the source of these stories which came out. Most important thing is dates. Triptii is shooting for a film with Vishal Bhardwaj, and my film goes on floors this month too. She is still my best friend, I really like her as an actress. You should ask her too what happened,” he said.
An X user pointed out that the makers had substituted Triptii with Sreeleela. “They actually replaced Dimri,” the fan said. “Going to ruin another successful franchise, sharam where?” another user commented. “No one can replace @ShraddhaKapoor as #Aashiqui girl,” wrote another fan.
The makers have not revealed the title of the upcoming film yet. It is slated to release during Diwali this year.