Though keen to attempt grey roles, Ayushmann Khurrana asserts he won't compromise on movie's message
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; December 18, 2019)

Ayushmann Khurrana has had a golden run at the box office this year with three consecutive hits in Article 15, Dream Girl and Bala. What makes the success sweeter is that with each of these films, he has only strengthened his brand of disruptive cinema. As he gears up to enter the new year with the same-sex love story, Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan, the actor says he is itching to play a grey character. "I will be happy to pick a gory film or play a negative character. I would love to play a morally corrupt person. That will be out of my realm. But the message, at the end of the day, should be positive. I don't want to endorse wrong-doings on screen," asserts Khurrana.

Reflecting on the splendid year behind him, he agrees that Dream Girl was probably his "safest" film, but one that was a necessary step for his future gambles. "I needed that over-the-top performance to show my range as an actor. It was slapstick, and not the situational comedies that I usually [gravitate to]. The film helped me reach out to the single-screen audiences. Now, I need that audience to come to theatres for Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan. We have seen parallel films on the subject, but you need a mainstream film to normalise homosexuality."