Anurag Basu Reacts to Re Shooting of Kartik Aryan, Sreeleela Film Over Saiyaara Comparison
Synopsis
Director Anurag Basu has addressed rumors of re-shooting his upcoming film with Kartik Aaryan and Sreeleela due to its alleged similarities with Saiyaara. He clarified that the stories are entirely different and denied any changes to the script.
Mohit Suri's Saiyaara emerged as one of the greatest masterpieces of Bollywood in 2025 which centers on an emotional romance between a rockstar musician and a writer suffering from early onset Alzheimer’s. The subject matter and the soul stirring music of this film mesmerized the masses and induced such comparisons to Anurag Basu's upcoming project with Kartik Aaryan-Sreeleela, widely speculated to be Aashiqui 3.
Anurag Basu Reacts to Re Shooting of Kartik Aryan, Sreeleela Film
The director Anurag Basu reacts to the rumours stating that the film is neither being re-shot nor rewritten in the wake of Saiyaara's success. In a candid conversation, Anurag Basu had mentioned, "The only similarity between our movies is that the lead actor is a rockstar; the stories are grossly different."
He further clarified by saying that it doesn't involve dementia or anything like that within it. For example, "In my film, the girl does not have dementia or any disability; we are not rewriting or re shooting."
Production Status and Timeline
Currently, nearly 40% of the film has been completed and shooting is expected to resume in the time frame of August - September 2025. The holdup has been attributed to not changes in the storyline, such as continuity issues regarding Kartik Aaryan's look with him being busy doing shots for another film, Tu Meri Main Tera... , with a cleanly shaven face for Basu's film.
It was originally set for a Diwali 2025 release but is now postponed to early 2026.
Anurag's Perspective and Industry Context
Interestingly, Mohit Suri first pitched the story of Saiyaara to be developed as a script for Aashiqui 3. After that, the collaboration broke down so this was pursued by Suri independently. Later, Anurag Basu was roped in for the official Aashiqui franchise reboot with Kartik Aaryan and Sreeleela, and according to him, both narratives are fundamentally unique.
No Re-Shooting, Just Continuity
In essence, there will be no reshooting or script rewrites resulting from the success of Saiyaara. Anurag Basu is concerned with presenting a unique musical love tale, which does not really follow the trend of such recent ones. Any delays, however, are due to logistical production and not due to overlap in concepts or themes.