Was looking for a role different from what I had done, says Kartik Aaryan on Dhamaka

For Netflix’s Dhamaka (2021), Kartik Aaryan stepped away from the usual comedic and romantic roles he has been identified with. He plays television anchor Arjun Pathak who has been demoted to radio when, one day, he is dealt a breaking story involving a man threatening to blow up Mumbai’s Bandra-Worli Sea Link.

Dhamaka review: Dramatic thriller which bites off more than it can chew

Directed by Ram Madhvani, the film has been trending in the Top 5 Non-English Films worldwide and, according to the streaming platform’s internal data, the feature has been watched for 4.8 million hours from 22–28 November.

The feature film was also screened at last month's International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa after its online premiere.

Aaryan spoke about what drew him to the role: “I was looking for a role that was something different from what I had done before and this was exactly that! Dhamaka is a unique story of ambition and how far one will go to change their life. It will compel you to always think while making decisions that 'aap ne apni zindagi mein kya khoya, aur kya paaya'.”

Pathak is a character with grey shades who will do anything for a story, until he comes face to face with some unconscionable truths.

Director Madhvani added, “Dhamaka is a film that I hold very close to my heart. I am grateful to my actors and how they have put in their everything to do justice to their roles and to work around our unconventional methods of the shoot, that we call system 360 degrees. All the actors performed extraordinarily and every member working behind the camera has given their all to this film.”

Besides Kartik Aaryan, Dhamaka stars Amruta Subhash and Vikas Kumar and has a special appearance by Mrunal Thakur.