Ayushmann Khurrana on the challenges of playing a visually impaired character

Sweet, charming, guy-nextdoor — that’s how actor Ayushmann Khurrana usually comes across, probably because of the image he has built through his roles in films such as Dum Laga Ke Haisha (2015) and Shubh Mangal Saavdhan.

But now the actor is all set to take the audience by surprise with his upcoming thriller film, tentatively titled Shoot The Piano Player, where he plays the role of a visually impaired pianist. The actor reveals that his character has grey shades. “I come across as a sweet boy, but I have mostly played such grey characters in theatre. I have been doing such roles from my childhood, since I started doing theatre. My first role ever was Shylock in the Merchant Of Venice, then I played Ashwathhama in Dharamveer Bharti’s Andha Yug — all these were grey, and I got a lot of awards for them. So, I had always been waiting for a thriller film,” he says. Playing a differently abled pianist had its own set of challenges. “It’s not easy. You need to make it as real as possible. I interacted with many such people and went to [special] schools for them. I also met a visually impaired pianist. I observed how he approaches the piano, how his body language is. The hardest part is that you are not looking at the keys,” Ayushmann tells us, enacting out the same, “I have to look here and there, and just listen to the music. It’s challenging, but exciting at the same time.” This year, Ayushmann’s films were a hit at the box-office, and with the critics too. Does he feel pressured by the success? “Working or not working of a film is incidental. Having said that, success gives you confidence. You are known as a bankable star that way,” he opines.

Playing a visually impaired guy is challenging, but exciting at the same time AYUSHMANN KHURRANA ACTOR

PHOTO: PRAMOD THAKUR/HT Ayushmann Khurrana reveals that in theatre, he mostly did roles with grey shades