Harshada Rege (DNA; January 2, 2018)

The year 2017 was a great one for Ayushmann Khurrana, and now, he is excited about going ‘dark’ in 2018. It will be a major shift for the actor, who has a foothold in the slice-of-life genre. He’s equally aware of the booming digital world and the challenges that it will pose for filmmakers. Here, he talks about all that and much more...

The choices that you made last year paid off. Does that make you braver as an actor?
As an artiste, you need to connect with scripts first. I should be excited about doing them. I’ve always enjoyed taking up roles that are unconventional. In fact, I started off as an unconventional actor; so, my choices would be like that. I would love to do things that nobody else is attempting. Films like Vicky Donor, Dum Laga Ke Haisha, or Shubh Mangal Saavdhan were really off-centre and concept-based. This year, too, I will continue to do the same. 

You had three releases in 2017. Is that how you want to work ahead?
I generally go with my gut feeling. This year, I have two releases — Shoot The Piano Player (working title) and Badhaai Ho. I don’t want to jump at everything, but I’ve been getting great content now, so I’ll follow this trend.

With Sriram Raghavan’s Shoot The Piano Player, you are stepping into the thriller space. How has that experience been?
It is, of course, one of the darkest films that I’ve done so far because I’ve only done light-hearted movies till date. After being in the industry for five years and establishing myself in slice-of-life films, I needed to make that shift. It was a deliberate effort. I’m fortunate that I’m working with Sriram. His process is completely different. You have to be on your toes as an actor. I’m glad that I’ve done theatre in the past, so there’s a lot of room for improvisation.

Many actors have turned producers in recent times. Do you see yourself getting into that space, too?
I recently produced a short film for my wife, Tahira, with Mukesh Chhabra and Ajay Rai. It was screened at the MAMI Festival and was also nominated in the best short film category. It was an experiment from my side as a producer, though I’ve always wanted to be a writer-director. But I’m an artiste, so I think like one. In order to have a producer’s sensibility, I need someone who knows his stuff. If in the future, I’ve to collaborate then I would like to do so with Mukesh and Ajay as I trust them. Though we worked together for a short while, the process was exciting. But right now, I’m too busy with my acting assignments. So, let’s see how it goes in the future.

We are in the phase of digital revolution. Actors like Saif Ali Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, and Rajkummar Rao have already made their foray. Do you plan to explore the space too?
As an actor, I’m excited about everything related to acting — be it stage, television, films or digital. It’s the character and script that excite me. People say digital is the future, but I would say that it is the present. It’s already arrived. If I get an edgy, wacky script with a zany character, I would love to do it.

Do you think streaming channels will make a huge impact on the business of cinema?
There is great competition from that side. I think digital is the space where censorship is lenient, and you can create content which you can go crazy with. Having said that, the whole experience of collectively going to a theatre to watch a film is vintage, nostalgic and entertaining as compared to seeing something on your laptop or home theatre. The audience’s collective consciousness reflects on us at the same time. Film viewing will never suffer because of this, but, of course, we need to be more creative with the content. We have to be out-of-the-box with the creative process where we have to give something to the audience that they want to watch.

Last year, slice-of-life movies were loved by the audience and towards the end, typical masala films made money. Do you see the trend continuing in 2018?
I think we do our own research, make our own permutation-combination and call it a trend. But eventually, it’s entertainment that survives. If people are entertained, they will love the film irrespective of its genre and tonality. A movie has to connect with the audience. That’s my take on it. We saw Baahubali 2: The Conclusion, which was a mammoth success in the initial months. Then, there was a huge surge of movies like Bareilly Ki Barfi and Shubh Mangal Saavdhan. Towards the end again, there were commercial films. So, it’s just entertainment that the audience responds to.

You are also a musician and a writer. Do you have plans to come out with a single or pen something new this year?
As of now, I’ve been singing for my films. I sang Nazm Nazm for Bareilly Ki Barfi, which was liked by a lot of people. Then there was an unplugged version of Kanha in Shubh Mangal Saavdhan, which was a beautiful track. There is no desperation to cut a single or have an album because I’m happy to lend my voice for my films. If there’s a decent gap between two movies, I might come up with something because I’ve some songs ready. I’m just waiting for the right moment.

Any New Year resolution?
I don’t believe there’s a certain time to make a resolution. There’s no wrong time to do the right thing. If you know this has to be done, then the month doesn’t matter. But yes, at the beginning of the year, you think about what you would like to do that year. I would want to do more films, strike a balance between my professional and personal life, learn more music and be more regular with my riyaaz. I had neglected it in 2017 due to my busy schedule.