Kartik Aaryan celebrated his 31st birthday with a Dhamaka.

Kartik Aaryan, who plays a news reporter on screen, claims he could never be one in real life. "I don't know how to balance my personal and professional life because you're always on your toes. I have gotten that immense respect for journalism," he told.  

In his most recent film, Dhamaka, which is currently streaming on Netflix, Kartik portrays a news anchor. Today is also the actor's birthday, and he is receiving a lot of praise for his performance.

Arjun Pathak, who plays Kartik in the film, is caught between a call from an unknown bomber demanding that he do specific things and the race for ratings for his channel. In the midst, he wears grey shades as an ambitious man willing to go to any extent to succeed, manipulate, and put emotions on the line.

Kartik credited director Ram Madhvani for helping him get through the difficult parts, calling it his most hardest job to date. "A lot was happening on set and it was something which would drain you as an actor, but there was Ram Madhvani sir who was always there," he said.

For the first time, Ram Madhvani, who directed the award-winning Neerja and the current smash web series Aarya, will collaborate with Kartik. During the pandemic, Dhamaka was shot in about ten days with a small crew. This time, the director, who is recognised for his unusual technique of multi-camera filmmaking, used at least eight cameras. Working with Ram Madhvani was a "conscious decision," according to Kartik.

"I wanted to be a part of his world, the way he shoots, his vision. I'm glad I got to be that person about whom Ram Madhvani would think of how he should be and what he should do, how he'd present him. It's a dream come true and I enjoyed every bit of it."

So, what has he taken away from Ram Madhvani's approach to work? Kartik praised his director for speaking well of his team in any moment or crisis, addressing him as a "professional and a team player." "He looked after his team and me being a part of it also. That speaks volumes about him. As he says, he hosts shoots. He's a very good host so it's like a celebration when you're shooting with him. I'm glad that we got to spend so much time with each other."

With Dhamaka, the actor appears to be attempting to break away from the mould. He is known for hugely commercial films such as the Pyaar Ka Punchnama trilogy, Love Aaj Kal, Luka Chuppi, and Pati Patni Aur Woh. Kartik, on the other hand, does not refer to himself as 'Kartik 2.0' as he approaches his 31st birthday, "but it's been a conscious decision to do good scripts. We made an edge of seat thriller which people are raving about, which is great," he said.

Dhamaka is also Kartik's first release into the OTT world. Because of the global accessibility of streaming platforms, he dubbed it the "right film at the right time." He went on to say that in the future, theatres and digital media will coexist.