Page 108 - October 2018 converted
P. 108
AYUSHMANN KHURRANA:
NO POINT IN PLAYING
SAFE AS THE AUDIENCES
LOVE SOMETHING THAT
IS CRAZY
As someone who has made a career out of playing regular guy roles,
Ayushmann Khurrana believes it is a great time to be an actor in Bollywood
where the space to experiment has grown like never before.
The actor, who has cemented his standing in the industry by featuring in
middle-of-the-road films such as Vicky Donor, Dum Laga Ke Haisha and
Bareilly Ki Barfi, says not playing safe has worked in his favour.
“This is the best era to be an artist in the industry. You get to explore a
lot of things which were not possible earlier. Parallel films did not make
money but in this day and age, content films are doing commercially
great. The trend probably started with Vicky Donor. was familiar about the geography. But a new place becomes
“These films give confidence to not just actors but also directors, writers difficult to navigate. So, I spent a lot of time researching and
and producers. They know that one can put their money on such films. rehearsing.
Actors get to experiment a lot because viewers seem to like that,” he said “In all the characters I have played before this film, there is
in an interview. something that I have taken from the people around me but
Ayushmann says he is always looking to reinvent himself and his next, I had no reference for this character. It has been my most
Sriram Raghavan-directed AndhaDhun, is a thriller that will see him challenging role so far,” he says.
playing a blind pianist. Ayushmann believes he has become a more assured artiste
“I started my career with an unconventional film. There is no point in and he credits his experiences, both good and bad, for that.
playing safe because the audiences love different quirks, something that “It only comes with experience and it has been six years for
is crazy and out-of-the-box. I think that’s what my space is and if you are me in the industry. I have seen both highs and lows. It gives
going to have your own space in the industry, this is where I want to be.” you a perspective about life, your career and everything.
Working with Raghavan, who has best thriller films in India to credit, be The confidence about a certain product or a character
it Ek Haseena Thi, Johnny Gaddar or Badlapur, was on Ayushmann’s comes from there and then there are directors who you
bucket-list. really trust like Sriram Raghavan, who is a credible name in
The actor approached Raghavan when he heard about “AndhaDhun”. the industry.”
They met and Ayushmann offered to take a screen test, his first as an Ayushmann’s brother Aparshakti is also finding his feet
actor. in the industry and the actor is happy that he has already
“When I got to know that he was looking to cast his film, I met him. He told featured in films like Dangal and recent release Stree.
me ‘This is not a slice-of-life film’. And I told him, ‘This is why I have come “I’m really proud of him. He has made a mark for himself and
to meet you. I don’t want to do a slice-of-life film with you. I want to do a is doing good stuff. Both Rajkumar (Rao) and Aparshakti
thriller’. Working with him was on my bucket list,” he recalls. and all the other actors in Stree are so good. Aparshakti has
To perfect his role, Ayushmann decided he would not see any film, Indian his own journey and as a sibling, I can only wish him good
or Hollywood, for reference. He and Raghavan visited a blind school luck. I would also love to work with him as an actor,” he says.
and in a case of life imitating art, ended up meeting a blind pianist, who Also starring Tabu and Radhika Apte, AndhaDhun releases
helped the actor in understanding the world. October 5.
“We called him to Sriram’s office and recorded his body language and I Ayushmann will follow it up with another release, Badhaai
realised the space was completely alien to him because in his school he Ho, which is slated to hit the screens on October 12.
108 |DALLAS | OCTOBER 2018 | VOL 157 www.thebmagazine.com
