After being ousted from filmmaker Karan Johar’s Dostana 2, and subsequently from Shah Rukh Khan’s production, Freddie, rumour mills are abuzz that actor Kartik Aaryan may have lost out on yet another potential project.

According to sources, Aaryan was roped in by filmmaker Aanand L Rai for his yet-untitled production — a gangster film — but he is no longer a part of it.

“Kartik was in advanced level talks with Aanand, and had read the script and heard the narration, too. But, before he could sign on the dotted line, things fell apart,” the source tells us, adding that Rai’s assistant was to direct this film.

The reports that Aaryan and Rai are teaming up for a film surfaced in February this year when the actor was snapped outside the filmmaker’s Mumbai office. While the actual reason for the project not working out is still unknown, the source adds, “The fact that Karan dropped Kartik seems to have influenced others. So, this could be the third instance where Kartik maybe losing out on getting to work with an established filmmaker like Aanand.”

That’s not it. Apparently, Aaryan is not even aware that the makers have already replaced him with another actor. “Aanand is now considering Ayushmann Khurrana for this film with who he had earlier collaborated on Shubh Mangal Saavdhan (2017) and Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan (2020), so it’s not a surprise if he may have readily come on board,” the source reveals.

We reached out to Aaryan for a comment but got no official response from him.

We spoke to Aanand L Rai for a comment and he denied that Kartik Aaryan was on board for any of his projects. “As a production house, we work on scripts and pitch it to actors — that’s a process,” he says, adding that just because an actor expresses the desire to work with him doesn’t mean he’s signed for the project. “We’ve been here for so many years. Actors keep meeting you, you keep telling them what you’re working on, they express their desire to collaborate. And then, depending upon the subject, you decide if I should approach them,” he says.

On whether Ayushmann Khurrana has replaced Aaryan in his next, Rai dodges the question and tells us, “Even if Ayushmann is not in the film, I tell him to read the subject. It’s a relationship. Even today, I have a story with him, which we would soon make.”