Bollywood actor Kartik Aaryan has found himself at the centre of intense social media chatter following rumours linking him to UK-based Karina Kubiliute. The dating speculation also triggered a wave of memes
and videos mocking the actor, some of which have now drawn attention due to likes from star kids and industry insiders.
Kartik, who is 35 years old, was heavily trolled after claims surfaced that Karina is 18 years old, with several social media users criticising the alleged age gap. Amid the backlash, Reddit users pointed out that Janhvi Kapoor’s boyfriend, Shikhar Pahariya, and Ananya Panday’s younger sister, Rysa Panday, had liked posts poking fun at Kartik.
According to screenshots shared on Reddit, Shikhar liked a video that showed Kartik running at an airport - an old clip that was repurposed with a controversial caption reading, “This flight will take you to Epstein Island.” The same post was also reportedly liked by Sam Merchant, who is rumoured to be dating actress Triptii Dimri.
Meanwhile, Rysa liked another video that featured an AI-generated image of Kartik depicted as an elderly man. The post carried a sarcastic caption suggesting that the actor was “doing a case study on how Gen Z behaves” for future roles portraying younger characters.
"Guys i think kartik aaryan was doing a case study on how the gen z behaves for the next time he has to play a 20 year old facing relationship problems as a 40 year old man. nothing wrong with a little market research (sic)," the caption of the post liked by Rysa read.
It is worth noting that Kartik has previously been linked to both Janhvi Kapoor and Ananya Panday, making the social media activity of those close to the actresses even more noticeable to fans and observers.
The dating rumours involving Kartik and Karina first gained traction after both shared photos from what appeared to be the same beach location in Goa. Netizens were quick to spot similarities, including identical beach beds, matching towels and similar sea-facing angles, leading many to speculate that the two were vacationing together.
Reports also claimed that Kartik had followed Karina on Instagram and later unfollowed her after the speculation intensified.
While Karina publicly clarified that she is not Kartik’s girlfriend, the actor has chosen to remain silent on the matter so far.
