Is Kartik Aaryan responsible for getting Taapsee Pannu fired from Pati Patni aur Woh?

IS KARTIK AARYAN RESPONSIBLE FOR GETTING TAAPSEE PANNU FIRED FROM PATI PATNI AUR WOH?

Did Kartik Aryan orchestrate Taapsee Pannu’s ouster from the rather uncalled-for remake of the 1978 naughty romcom Pati Patni Aur Woh?

It is being talked about – Taapsee Pannu being unceremoniously dropped from Pati Patni Aur Woh without being formally informed about it. Taapsee has gone on record to state her sorrow with the unprofessionalism shown by the team that’s remaking the classic adult comedy, originally directed by the path-breaking B R Chopra and featuring Sanjeev Kumar as a husband cheating on his wife (played by  Vidya Sinha) with his secretary (Ranjeeta Kaur). It can now be revealed that Tapsee Pannu, who was pencilled into the role of one of the women, was relieved of her duties on the behest of the remake’s leading man Kartik Aaryan.

Says a  source  close to the development, “It was Kartik who suggested to producers, Kapil and Abhay, and director MusassarAziz to sign Ananya Pandey in place of Tapsee Pannu for the wife’s role.”

Pati Patni Aur Woh

Apparently, Kartik felt Ananya would be ‘hot and happening’ after the release of Student  Of  The Year 2, which to some extent she is. But what makes Taapsee any less hot and happening with hits like Pink, Naam Shabana and Badlaa to her credit? And has Kartik forgotten that he is as much an outsider as Taapsee? Both have arm-wrestled with nepotism and defeated it to make their names in the industry.

A filmmaker who has played a  big hand in Kartik’s stardom says, “If this (Kartik being instrumental in Tapsee’s replacement) is true then it’s a shame. There are so many projects in the past where Kartik has lost out to star-kids. And now he does the same to another self-made star-actor? What a  shame!”

A more important issue is that of star status. What makes Taapsee any less casting-friendly than any other actress? Taapsee was the hero of last year’s surprise blockbuster  Badlaa which incidentally made more money than Kartik’s Lukka Chuppi.

Finally, does this mean that the affable Kartik Aryan has started feeling the weight of his stardom? Has he started throwing his weight around?

His discoverer and mentor, Luv Ranjan, says, “I don’t think Kartik has changed with success. We are in touch and he’s still the same. What happens with success is that the perception of people around you begins to change. Their expectations change.”

As far as changing his heroine goes, let us remind Kartik that he comes from the same non-filmy background as Tapsee Pannu. And yes, she is a bigger star than he is.