Varun Dhawan and Kartik Aaryan both have had a great Bollywood journey with their respective hits and box office successes. Both the actors made their debut in the early 2010s. While Varun Dhawan made his debut as an actor with Karan Johar’s Student Of The Year in 2012, Kartik Aaryan made his debut with Pyaar Ka Punchnama in 2011. But now they are going to clash at the box office on the same day with their upcoming releases.
On Tuesday, April 22, Kartik Aaryan officially announced his film Naagzilla, directed by Mrighdeep Singh Lamba, leaving his fans excited for the film. The film will be released next year on August 14, 2026. Even as fans are excited for the creature-comedy, they can’t help but notice that Varun Dhawan’s Bhediya 2 is also set to release on the same day.
On Tuesday, Kartik Aaryan took to Instagram to make the official announcement of his collaboration with Karan Johar. He posted a video on Instagram where he is shirtless and his upper body skin slowly transforms into snake-like scaly skin. The brief teaser shows Kartik as an ‘ichhadhaari naag (wishful serpent)’.
The motion poster came with a caption saying, “Insanon wali picharein toh bahut dekh li, ab dekho naagon wali pichchar!#Naagzilla – Naag lok ka pehla kaand…Funnn phailaane aa raha hai – Preyamvadeshwar Pyare Chand…”Naag Panchami par aapke nazdeeki Sssssinemas mein – 14 August 2026 ko!”
Meanwhile, Dinesh Vijan’s Maddock Films also announced their upcoming films earlier this year in January. The production house also announced Bhediya 2 to release on Independence Day eve, August 4, 2026. The film starring Varun Dhawan, Kriti Sanon, and Abhishek Banerjee is the sequel to Bhediya, which released in 2022.
Other than Bhediya 2, Maddock Films also announced its two upcoming releases, Thama and Shakti Shalini, in 2025, and Bhediya and Chamunda in 2026. Stree 3 and Mahamunjya are booked for 2027, and Pehla Mahayudh and Doosra Mahayudh are slated to release in 2028.
After Kartik Aaryan’s announcement, Naagzilla and Bhediya 2 will be locking horns in theaters. Interestingly, Kartik Aaryan and Maddock Films will be clashing this Diwali as well. A musical saga starring Kartik Aaryan and Sreeleela, directed by Anurag Basu, along with Ayushmann Khurrana and Rashmika Mandanna’s Thama, will release together.