Priyadarshan reacts to Kartik Aaryan, Ayushmann rejecting Hungama 2: “They think that…”

The second instalment of the classic Priyadarshan film, Hungama 2 starring Paresh Rawal, Shilpa Shetty, Meezaan and Pranita Subhash will skip theatrical release and have opted for a direct to digital route.

Directed by Priyadarshan, Hungama 2 will premiere on Disney+Hotstar on 23rd July. Ahead of the film’s release, the filmmaker opens up about how several young actors had rejected his film. While speaking to The Quint, the director said that actors like Ayushmann Khurrana and Kartik Aaryan had rejected Hungama 2 and did not want to work with him. Priyadarshan said:

“I don't face it in the south, because they know more about me. But here, I don't blame them for refusing, because if an actor doesn't feel confident about a director, they shouldn't do the film. Because then there will not be a comfortable interaction. Maybe these boys are more comfortable working with the new school; I belong to the old-school."

However, the filmmaker points out that he won a National Film Award recently, so he must know what he's doing. He added:

“See, it's a question of, of course, they think that we don't update. But I keep updating everything... So if you ask me, the film Marakkar: Lion of the Arabian Sea, which won the National Award for best feature of this year, so if I can win the National Award for best film of this year, I'm still good."

In an earlier interview with PTI, Priyadarshan had said that actors like Ayushmann Khurrana, Kartik Aaryan and Sidharth Malhotra had refused his film because ‘maybe they thought I am an outdated director, because I was out of the Hindi film industry for five years.’

Meanwhile, speaking of Hungama 2, the film is a sequel to the hit 2003 comedy starring Akshaye Khanna, Aftab Shivdasani and Rimi Sen, and also stars Ashutosh Rana, Manoj Joshi, Rajpal Yadav, Johnny Lever and Tiku Talsania in pivotal roles.