‘WHAT USED TO BE CONVENTIONAL IS NOW UNSAFE’
Actor Ayushmann Khurrana says he is proud of his quirky, outofthebox choices which have clicked with audiences repeatedly
Right from his big screen debut, Vicky Donor (2012), Ayushmann Khurrana has been surprising audiences as well as critics with his out-of-thebox film choices. In fact, the actor feels he “owns the zone” of quirky, slice-of-life films. “I have a ready audience for that,” says Ayushmann, who turned 34 on September 14, as he opens up about birthdays, his life, career and more.
You didn’t have a big birthday bash, but would you call yourself a birthday person?
Not at all! I treat my birthdays like any other day, when I just want to be myself. I feel, after being constantly in the public eye, you yearn for that solitude with yourself. Maybe if I wasn’t an actor, I would have been a ‘birthday person’. I don’t even like birthday parties. Instead, I love small get-togethers with my family. That’s also because I hardly get to spend time with them. On my birthdays, I don’t want to do anything. This year, too, I was at home the entire day, doing nothing (laughs).
You recently said that not playing safe has worked for you as an actor…
I think playing conventional [parts] is unsafe now. We have reached a point in the film industry where vanilla won’t sell, so something different and novel has to be done. Whatever we used to call safe or conventional is actually unsafe, so we have to give something different to the audiences. It’s also because the digital medium is prospering a lot and people have a lot of options — they don’t have to spend money to watch something in the digital space. But if they are spending money to come to the theatre, they have to be given something different.
Your wife, author Tahira Kashyap, is set to make her debut as a director. Excited? Would you be starring in her film?
The casting process is still going on, but I don’t think I am starring in her film (smiles). I think I am more excited than her, because as partners, you share each other’s dreams and are there for each other’s happiness, ambitions and achievements. I am glad that this is happening and that she is collaborating with a credible bunch of people. She has written a wonderful script and they start shooting in February.
This is your sixth year in the industry. Would you call it a smooth ride so far?
It’s been a very fruitful journey. I am having a lot of fun, and I feel, as an artist, you should have fun. Otherwise, there’s no point [in doing anything]. I am content with the way things have panned out for me. More importantly, I am proud of the kind of choices I have made. What’s heartening is that they have clicked with the audiences as well. I just want to take things forward in my own way. I can only be thankful and have lots of gratitude for all of this.
Last year, your two films (Bareilly Ki Barfi and Shubh Mangal Saavdhan) released within a gap of two weeks. Now, AndhaDhun and Badhaai Ho are also set to hit theatres in the same month. You must be used to it by now? (Laughs) I am really excited. But now, I’m in a slightly better position unlike last year, since the textures of both the films are very different. For instance, AndhaDhun is a thriller, which is something I haven’t tried before and that’s exciting because people will see me in a different light altogether. Plus, it’s the first time that I’ve worked with Sriram Raghavan. Conversely, Badhaai Ho is slice-of-life drama, and is like another feather in my cap because this is my zone which, according to me, I own. Plus, I have a readymade audience for that. It will be entertaining and interesting for people. Both the films are very different.
Many, including critics as well as trade experts, feel that you are extremely good in films that are in the quirky, outofthebox zone... I think every actor has been treading a [particular] path since his/her first film. So, if Varun Dhawan started with Student of The Year (2012), he has owned that zone but a Sui Dhaaga is a completely different world for him. Also, Akshay [Kumar] sir is big into the patriotic and social issues zone while I have a quirky zone. Likewise, AndhaDhun is different for me. I guess everybody has a zone. Both my new films are quirky in their own way. Even AndhaDhun is different in the sense that it’s not a dark thriller but a quirky one, while Badhaai Ho is an out-and-out quirky film. I have achieved that place in the industry, and I am glad that such films of mine have done well [at the box office].
You must also be thrilled with the kind of work your brother, Aparshakti is doing and the kind of response he is getting?
I am glad that he is making his unique space. He has his own journey and the best part is, people like him. Of course, a certain section of people will say that he is my brother and all, but they will soon realise that he is so talented because he has got everything on his own merit. Plus, he is very different from me. Even his style of acting is very distinct, and that’s amazing because he has got his own method as well as quirks. I am very proud of him. Regardless of whether Aparshakti is my brother or not, he should entertain people and they should feel that he is doing a good job. That’s it. I wish him all the success. He should do better than me. You recently said that you are open to doing a film based around Section 377…
Definitely, I am [open]. If not me, then who else (laughs)? I think I should be the first candidate and choice for any such subject because I want to do different kind of cinema. In fact, I have made all my [film] choices [till date] accordingly.