Kartik Aaryan’s Ray has found his Rumi. Peepingmoon.com can now confirm that Ananya Panday will star opposite Kartik in Dharma Productions and Namah Pictures’ ‘Tu Meri Main Tera, Main Tera Tu Meri’.

Ananya has apparently turned down an Imtiaz Ali film to bag this romantic comedy. Industry buzz suggests that she was in advanced discussions with the Jab We Met director for an intense romantic drama, which he intends to direct before moving on to his film with Malayalam star Fahadh Faasil and Triptii Dimri. However, when she was offered Kartik Aaryan’s rom-com, which also goes on floors at the same time as Imtiaz's film, she had to select one, and she decided on the Dharma project because she thought it was a safer commercial bet in today's market compared to an Imtiaz Ali love story.

‘Tu Meri Main Tera, Main Tera Tu Meri’ will mark Kartik and Ananya’s second on-screen pairing following their collaboration on Mudassar Aziz’s ‘Pati Patni Aur Woh’. Directed by ‘Satyaprem Ki Katha’ filmmaker Sameer Vidwans and written by Karan Sharma, this rom-com is characterized as a family entertainer with a progressive storyline. The narrative revolves around a young man, a quintessential mama’s boy, who embarks on a journey to find true love after experiencing three failed relationships. Currently in pre-production, the film is set to commence shooting in May 2025.

This film also marks Kartik Aaryan’s first collaboration with Karan Johar since their famous fallout in 2022 over ‘Dostana 2’. Over the past few years, the actor and producer have been attempting to reconcile and even announced an action film two years ago, though that project didn’t materialize. With this Sameer Vidwans directorial, their feud officially comes to an end. Kartik is expected to start filming for this project after wrapping up Anurag Basu’s upcoming love story, which begins production later this month.

For Ananya Panday, Dharma Productions continues to be a home ground. This latest project marks her seventh film with the Karan Johar company since her debut in ‘Student of the Year 2’ (2019). Their previous collaborations include ‘SOTY2,’ ‘Gehraiyaan,’ ‘Liger,’ ‘Call Me Bae,’ and the yet-to-be-released C. Shankaran Nair biopic, which has now been titled ‘Kesari 2.’ She is also set to work on another Dharma production, ‘Chand Mera Dil,’ alongside Kill actor Lakshya, scheduled to get off the ground next month.