Ayushmann Khurrana has mastered the art of placing himself within the milieu of everyday middle class India, says Saimi Sattar
It is often the everyday ordinariness that actor Ayushmann Khurrana brings to his characters effortlessly that makes him relatable and identifiable. But then, born and brought up in Chandigarh, he still approaches every film like an outsider, despite having completed seven years in the industry since he burst upon the big screen with Vicky Donor in 2012. “I guess I still have that excitement of a Bollywood fan. I have grown up watching masala films and often purchased tickets in black during my school and college days. And I have that excitement when I approach a set or go to an awards function where I see my seniors like the Khans or someone like Amitabh Bachchan. When I got to work with him, in Gulabo Sitabo, that was such a fan moment for me. So, I have the innocence of an outsider,” says Ayushmann, dressed in a camouflage outfit. But more than the clothes, it is his humility in real life that establishes an immediate connect with his reel characters.
Being the quintessential outsider comes easy to him on account of the vast variety of experiences he has had as a radio jockey, singer, actor and TV host. “I was a journalist and asked questions and now I am answering them. I have reviewed films as part of MTV and radio. Now my films are getting reviewed. I interviewed many celebrities,” he says and lets the obvious, that he is now the celebrity being interviewed hang in the air. He then goes on to add, “It has been a great journey. As a radio presenter, I was in touch with common people and spoke with 20 strangers from the lower middle class in a day and got to know their likes and dislikes. I was a street theatre actor and interacted with the lowest common denominator. None of the film actors get the chance or the opportunity to do that. The gamut of experiences makes me more varied and is really helping me as an actor.”
However, having shifted gears, he makes sure that even while signing on roles, he does not lose his common touch. So he becomes a part of the audience while signing a film. “I take out the garb of a star and approach a film like an audience member who consumes it after buying a ticket. I enjoy the narration in totality. I do not concentrate on my particular character but I probably see how novel the script is. Ideally, it should be the first attempt in Hindi cinema. If not, at least it should engage the audience for two hours. The notion these days that we need a high concept film is not true. That is just the cherry on the cake. The entire cake is that it should last and engage the audience. If that happens the concept does not matter,” says Ayushmann who will be seen next in Bala where he plays a balding man called Bal Mukund Sharma.
“I am called Bal (hair) and I don’t have any,” says Ayushmann with a laugh. When he heard the story he felt that he had dealt with far-fetched subjects like sperm donation, erectile dysfunction but balding was by far more common than any of them. “And this does not even need parental guidance to understand the concept. So it was the most approachable and understandable,” he guffaws.
However, this is not the first time that he is tackling with a subject that deals with human frailties in a small town. And he keeps on going back to the human condition so that they become conversation starters in a middle class milieu. “There is a reason why we place these problems in middle class families because they are more conservative. There is no point in placing it in a society which is already progressive. There will be no humour coming out of it. There is no point in preaching to the already converted. For instance, when looking at sexual disfunction, the upper classes and people from metros will take a pragmatic approach and come up with a solution. But if you put that situation amidst the middle class or in a small town, then the story works. At the end of the day, that is the part of India that you have to make progressive,” says the actor.
It is this obsession with insecurities that make his current crop of films so relatable. Ayushmann says, “We have seen perfect heroes over the years and there was an aspiration among common men to be like them. It is high time we placed the common men on a pedestal and glorify their insecurities or imperfections and give them confidence in a way.” However, he points out that every genre is working these days whether it is war films like Uri or something inspirational like Saand ki Aankh or Article 15. “But putting frailties and complexes at the heart of a film is a new trend and a good one. It is progressive and real,” he says.
He feels that satire is the best way to address social issues, “else it will become a documentary. Everyone wants entertainment,” he says. He agrees that there is a social message at the heart of these films, including Bala. “If you have a weakness, you need to work on your strength. People who are bald can look at it in two ways. Either they can be ashamed of it and wear a wig. Or they can carry the look with aplomb and work on their strengths. Some women find bald men sexy,” says the actor who recently won the National Award for Andhadhun.
In this film, Ayushmann is paired with Yami Gautam with whom he made his debut in Vicky Donor and Bhumi Pednekar in Dum Laga Ke Haisha (2015). “Being paired with co actors that you have already worked with is a double-edged sword. While you know them but in your head you are thinking, how different it could be. The chemistry should not be the same as your previous films. It is a challenge that way,” says the actor who was the winner of the Roadies 2.
For an actor who has been lauded for his wide variety of characters, Ayushmann, too, was riddled with doubts and insecurities. He says, “I was extremely skinny even though I was in my sports team. I never looked good, never fitted in readymade clothes and had to get them stitched. I had braces and wore glasses. I was very gawky as a teenager as most guys. So, I had my own set of complexes. But you grow out of these and work on yourself.”
When questioned about the controversy surrounding Ujda Chaman, another film where the protagonist is a balding hero that released yesterday, he says, “I heard this story by this writer called Pavel Bhattacharya from Calcutta whose reference I got from Prasanna, the director of Shubh Mangal Savdhan. I heard the story and then approached Dinesh Vijan and Amar Kaushik as I felt they were the best people to take it forward. The story and screenplay was further developed by Niren Bhatt. Surprisingly, the same subject was offered to me by four different people. I chose the best possible combination. Some of them shelved their projects and said you go ahead with it. But of course, one team made it.”
Of the current crop of actors, Ayushmann is the front runner when it comes to balancing box office success with critical acclaim. So much so that it seems that he has got the formula right with six back to back hits. However, he says, “Nobody can master the recipe for box office success. What is relevant now may not be relevant five years later. Films are ever changing and ever evolving. The idea is to change with time. We, as actors, are probably at some point of time slightly unapproachable. We don’t know the real people working on the street. So the idea is to just be in touch with them,” he says.
Of the things that he wants to do in future is star with his talented brother Aparshakti who has been seen in films like Badrinath Ki Dulhaniya (2017), Stree (2018) and Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi (2018). “I am crazily looking for scripts that are tailor made for us. We are looking at films where we could play brothers and have equal parts. He deserves to play the lead now. He has carved his own journey,” he says.
However, one thing that he does not wish to do at present is return to TV to play a host. “There has to be that excitement if I go back to TV and the show has to be extremely special. Otherwise there is no point in doing something that I have done in the past,” says the actor.
But given his run at the silver screen, that is unlikely to happen any time soon.
Photo: Pankaj Kumar
