Have you heard? Kartik Aaryan is back in the Karan Johar camp; Shabana Azmi recalls shooting for Ankur

A few days ago, filmmaker Karan Johar was all praise for Kartik Aaryan — who has two films, Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri and Naagzilla, with the producer — for his marketing skills. Now we hear that Kartik has moved on from Collective Artists Network and joined KJo and Rajeev Masand’s Dharma Cornerstone Agency. The shift reportedly stems from the mismanagement by Kartik’s team at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa, last year. Sources also inform that the move aims to raise the Bhool Bhulaiyaa actor’s profile. Guess Kartik is back in the Johar camp, which already manages Janhvi Kapoor, and Sara Ali Khan, among others.

When the time is right

Shabana Azmi

Shabana Azmi walked down memory lane during a session celebrating her 50 years in cinema at the ongoing Jagran Film Festival. She opened up about how her maiden film, Ankur (1974) — which also won her a National Award — wasn’t originally meant for her. “Whenever I meet Waheeda [Rehman] ji, I tell her, ‘Thank you, Waheeda ji, for not doing Ankur’,” she laughed. After the veteran actor turned down the film, director Shyam Benegal approached several others, including South stars Sharada and Lakshmi. Shabana believes she was lucky to make her Hindi film debut with a non-commercial project that defined her artistic path.