‘I DO NOT MIND ASKING FOR A ROLE’

Actor Ayushmann Khurrana talks about working with Sriram Raghavan in his next film; says an item on his bucket list has been crossed off

I normally don’t run after things, but this time I was like, ‘I want to shift gears and do something dark and crazy’. AYUSHMANN KHURRANA, ACTOR

Most actors have a wish list of film-makers who they want to work with, and for Ayushmann Khurrana, working on a film with Sriram Raghavan has been at the very top of his list of priorities. Now, the actor has landed a project with the film-maker, and Ayushmann is downright excited about it. The actor says, “I’m really excited. This is amazing. I can’t reveal much about it, but I’ve always wanted to work with Sriram. It was on my bucket list. And, for this film, I was the one who approached him.”

Ayushmann says he isn’t the kind of person who would go asking for work, but he was apparently more than happy to approach Sriram for this film. “Normally, I’m a very laid-back person and I like scripts that come my way organically. I don’t run after things, but this time I was like, ‘I want to shift gears and do something dark and crazy’. So I called him and it happened. I was just at the right place at the right time. I don’t mind going [to someone] and asking for a role in a film, if it’s a project that I really want to do or if it’s a director I want to work with,” the Shubh Mangal Saavdhan actor says.

Ayushmann made his debut with Shoojit Sircar’s Vicky Donor (2012), and the actor says he continues to consult with the film-maker for projects. “Shoojit da will always be my mentor. Along with him, Aditya Chopra, and now also Aanand Rai sir. I mostly consult them and discuss films with them”.

A lot of actors these days are donning the producers’ hat or asking for profit share in films. Ayushmann doesn’t have an issue with the latter, but he says production is not his cup of tea. “I’ve recently produced a short film for my wife with Mukesh Chhabra. It’s called Toffee, and we are sending it to different festivals. But I don’t think I have a producer’s mindset. I am an artiste and I can’t think about business. I need somebody to think about business and have the acumen to make good decisions,” he says.