Karan Johar and his team are on the lookout for a replacement for Kartik Aaryan in Dostana 2. While Johar is keen on getting Akshay Kumar on board, the team has listed a few more names of actors, who could be a part of the franchise film. It is being reported that the film-maker is keen on roping in an outsider for the film to avoid any nepotism debate.

Also Read: Akshay Kumar To Replace Kartik Aaryan In Dostana 2?

“Karan has had multiple meetings with his creative team and director brainstorming on the casting. The names zeroed in by them include Akshay Kumar, Rajkummar Rao, Varun Dhawan, Sidharth Malhotra and Siddhant Chaturvedi. However, Karan Johar is pushing his best to get Akshay on board the film, as he is the biggest star of all the names mentioned and will take the Dostana franchise to the next level,” a source close to the development, told Bollywood Hungama.

The source further added, “Karan Johar wants an outsider to avoid any insider vs outsider debate giving a rebirth to nepotism. Hence the first choice is Akshay. But if things don’t work out, he will move ahead to explore the collaboration with other actors. Of the 5 shortlisted names, 4 are outsiders and hence, a safe bet at the moment. The core idea is to get an outsider replaced by an outsider.”

According to a report in Bollywood Hungama, Aaryan is said to initially have problems with the dates and the schedule. Later he started having creative issues as well. Dharma has decided not to work with Kartik Aaryan in the future.”Dharma is such a prestigious banner and KJo is reputed for launching careers – but never at the cost of a film’s future and the livelihoods of its cast and crew,’ added the source. Now, we will have to wait and see Akshay Kumar will give a nod to the film or not.