Kartik Aaryan and Kabir Khan Reunite for Ladaku, Set for Worldwide Release on June 18, 2027

Kartik Aaryan and Kabir Khan are teaming up again. Birla Studios announced on Tuesday, November 4, that their new film Ladaku will release in cinemas worldwide on June 18, 2027, reuniting the actor-director pair behind Chandu Champion for another real-life-inspired story.

Ladaku is described as an extraordinary real-life story of ambition, grit and hope, positioned as an emotional, heartwarming family entertainer. It is produced by Ananya Birla’s Birla Studios and Kabir Khan Entertainment, and it marks a first for its leading man: Kartik Aaryan makes his debut as a producer, through his banner Dopamine Studios.

The reunion carries weight because of what the pair achieved last time. Chandu Champion (2024), their biographical sports drama about Murlikant Petkar, India’s first Paralympic gold medallist, earned Kartik his first National Film Award for Best Actor. That film reset perceptions of Kartik as an actor, and Ladaku looks like a deliberate attempt to build on that foundation.

Reports suggest the film draws inspiration from Kashmiri kickboxer Tajamul Islam, who became a world kickboxing champion at seven, with Kartik reportedly playing her coach. The makers have not confirmed the subject or the character, and no other cast has been announced — so the Tajamul connection remains a report, not a confirmed fact. What is confirmed is the date, the team and the tone: an inspiring story, told on a large canvas, arriving in mid-2027.

The announcement also sharpens the picture of Kartik’s 2027. The actor has no theatrical release in 2026, but is lining up three films in the first six months of next year: the fantasy comedy Naagzilla on February 12, 2027, Anurag Basu’s romantic drama with Sreeleela on April 30, and Ladaku on June 18 — an unusually packed slate that mixes genres deliberately.

For Kabir Khan, Ladaku continues a career-long interest in real-life stories, from Bajrangi Bhaijaan to 83 to Chandu Champion. The director has built his most durable successes on true events given an emotional, mainstream shape, and the Ladaku announcement fits that pattern neatly. For Kartik, the film is something more: a second collaboration with the director who delivered his National Award, and his first step into producing — a sign that the actor is now thinking about his career as a filmmaker’s collaborator and a stakeholder, not just a star for hire.

Further details on the cast and the production schedule are awaited. Ladaku releases worldwide on June 18, 2027.

Sources: Bollywood Hungama, The Hollywood Reporter India, Cinema Express.