The debate over how much an actor charges in fees has become a hot topic at the moment. Amid all this, Kartik Aaryan doesn’t want to be identified just by his market price.

“I have stopped talking about money when I am approached for a film,” the actor says, adding, “There was a time when I needed money; when I was like, ‘Mujhe thoda paison ki zaroorat hai’. But now I have reached a point where I feel I don’t work [just] for money.”

Aaryan, who is currently shooting for Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, tells us what drives him. “I do films for my happiness. I pick roles that will make me happy as well as entertain people. I feel rewarded by that. It is very important that people like what I do. What they will remember is not my fees, but the characters I play.”

The actor, who was recently seen in Chandu Champion, had to struggle to get facetime with makers in his initial days. However, Aaryan believes, “the business is such”. “A lot of people don’t have the time for you; in fact, they won’t invest time [in you]. Otherwise, they won’t be able to do their jobs,” he shares.

To manoeuvre his way around this, the actor prefers “staying away” from those who “have been rude for no reason, to not just me but anyone else too”. “You need to judge a person on the basis of how they treat other people around them. I observe all this — be it in my lowest or highest phase. [In fact] Highs mein zyaada pata chalta hai yeh sab,” Aaryan concludes.