It’s important to be one with the place you travel to”
Despite riding high on the success of his last three films, actor Ayushman Khurrana chooses to revel in the simpler joys of life.
FROM A SPERM DONOR TO A BLIND PIANIST, AYUSHMANN KHURRANA’S
repertoire of characters has proved that taboo themes and offbeat plots can also set the cash registers ringing. “Middle of the road cinema is here to stay,” he states. But this year’s much appreciated and commercially successful
Andhadhun is particularly special to the acclaimed actor for more than just its sparkling success and unique story—he played a character he had “no reference for” in Indian cinema, worked with a big ticket director for the first time and shot the crucial climax in East Europe, a travel destination he loves. “It was the first time I shot abroad; otherwise my film sets haven’t gone beyond Delhi, Haridwar, Rishikesh and Uttar Pradesh,” he says. If the family drama, Badhai Ho, which is pacing towards the hallowed `100 crore club, saw Panipat being recreated in Delhi, the comedy-drama Shubh
Mangal Saavadhan was shot in the capital. Andhadhun's shoot in the Polish city of Krakow gave the avid traveler an opportunity to visit the former Nazi concentration camp in Auschwitz. “It was eerie and fascinating at the same time. I have read about the World Wars and could feel the energy of the people who died in the gas chamber there. The museum had their shoes, hair, their clothes,” he says. A history buff who has voraciously read about the world wars, Khurrana came back with a pile of books. Incidentally, books are among his favourite travel companions.
Immersive travel scores big
The actor-singer-writer—in that order, he amiably insists—looks for immersive experiences when he travels. With his music band Ayushmann Bhava, he tours the world living out of a suitcase for weeks. It’s a facet of his creative pursuits that he thoroughly enjoys. “It is surreal; I perform in front of thousands of people and get paid for it. Sometimes I cannot believe it’s happening. I get to live the life of a rockstar,” he says with his eyes lighting up. A traveller, and not a mere tourist, Khurrana chooses to explore places, their culture and most importantly, their food. “It’s important to be one with the place you are in and food is a crucial part of the experience. If you want to go looking for Indian food everywhere, there is no point in travelling,” he says. So, be it the bamboo shoot in the North East, iconic Polish soups or Lonavala’s famous fudge, Khurrana looks for local flavours. “I love food, I live to eat. Eating, sleeping, acting and singing, these are my passions in that order,” he says.
Travel memories
For the Chandigarh-bred television host-turned-actor,
holidays bring back nostalgic memories of weekend bike rides to Kasauli during his college years. “Himachal has a special place in my heart,” he says. His love for the mountains and the winter is unmatched by the glitter of cities. “I like places that are quiet and close to nature,” he says. So, North East India, Eastern Europe and Russia feature on his top holiday spots. “Travel experiences should be a somewhere between luxury and backpacking with nature around,” he says. A secluded spot with zero connectivity helps him unwind in a world of being connected 24X7. "At work, you are constantly connected, posting about your films on social media or being in touch,” he says. Even as his recent family holiday to Disney world with wife Tahira and their two children was all about “living a dream” on the roller-coaster rides, Khurrana picks quieter destinations for holidays. Eastern Europe, he says, is special because there are fewer Indians there and visitors are treated with generous warmth. “They find us exotic and there’s a greater sense of respect. It’s important to me that people around me should like me,” he says.
Cine Blitz
Riding high on the success of his two big hits this year, Khurrana is finalising scripts for his next
project. Ask him what drives his choice of a film and he promptly says that it’s the content. Big names and A-list filmmakers haven’t figured on his priority list so far. “When I choose a script it is an organic process of consuming a film as a layman, as an audience. I take off the garb of a star,” he says. If he chose Vicky Donor with Shoojit Sircar as his debut in 2012 because he was playing the offbeat role of a sperm donor, Khuranna effortlessly essayed the role of a man suffering from erectile dysfunction in Shubh
Mangal Saavadhan. “The directors became famous after these films did well. The only A-lister I have worked with is Sriram Raghavan and that too after I approached him,” he says.
In his 10 films so far, Khurrana has carefully picked issues that are sensitive, offbeat or taboo. “The one common thread that runs through my films is the novelty of the subject and the uniqueness of the plot. There should be no reference point in Indian cinema for the film I do,” he says. His college theatre group, Aaghaz, at DAV, prepared him for a disciplined career in the movie business. “From cleaning the stage to writing scripts and composing songs, we did it all. Our energies were focussed and it taught me to be passionate and serious about my craft,” he says. Stardom hasn’t changed the way the performer views his work. He analyses a script on a “macro level” and not just his role. “The story should resonate with me and make sense,” he says. While he doesn’t follow numbers of box office collections thanks to a severe dislike for arithmetic that he’s had since school, success of a film is crucial. “Success should be all round. There is a fine balance between critical acclaim and commercial success,” he says. His last four films have scored well on both counts.
From a radio presenter to a bankable movie star, the journey has predictably seen several hits and misses. “I won’t call it a struggle because it has been thoroughly enjoyable and it still continues,” he says. An alumnus of DAV, Khurrana stepped into the business of entertainment at the age of 17 with reality show Popstars on Channel V. Two years later,
Roadies on MTV catapulted him to fame on the small screen and Khurrana went on to host shows. “I started young and was there at the onset of reality TV in India,” he says. If
Vicky Donor turned out to be a sleeper hit for the story and the song that he wrote and sung, a quiet phase followed until Dum Lagake Haisha put him back in the reckoning in 2015. Even as scripts pour in and filmmaker line up to work with him, Khurrana is on the lookout for roles that challenge him as an actor.
“I have my favourite characters and memorable moments but I am neither Vicky nor Prem Prakash Tiwari. I am yet to play myself on screen,” he says.