Ayushmann’s family bought a house together in Chandigarh, where they’re currently staying
Jaspreet Nijher (BOMBAY TIMES; July 17, 2020)

Back home in Chandigarh amid the Coronavirus pandemic, Ayushmann Khurrana is going cycling with Tahira Kashyap Khurrana, and living with family in a big house, which they recently bought. Excerpts from a conversation:

The adage — Home, Sweet Home — perhaps never had a better connotation than now?
For me, Chandigarh is home. The city, its people and the food fill me with so much happiness that it gets hard to return to Mumbai. When the lockdown was lifted, we packed and came here. I’m glad Apar (actor-brother Aparshakti Khurana), too, made the same decision. This city helps me unwind and find child-like joys. I’m reliving some of my best moments.

One of the first things you did when you reached Chandigarh was to buy a family home along with your parents and brother...
Yes. We’d been looking for a bigger house for a while, and what better time to nest together than now! It was a collective decision. We are a big family, with Apar being married and Tahira and I having two kids. Space is essential, and we wanted the family to stay together. There’s magic in the whole family living together, and we want our kids to experience that.

Being a busy actor, how has it been, spending time away from your craft?
Actually, spending time with family has been surreal! We get together to play board games or for musical evenings. Almost sabhi gaate hain hamare ghar mein. Tahira and I go cycling in the bylanes, remembering our growing up years (the couple met at school in the city). The family bonds together, which is precious, because I haven’t had that for years. Throughout the lockdown, I was busy with narrations and was looking for good scripts. I’ve found some gems and have been jamming with my directors on the same. I’ve been writing a lot, too.

You were among the first actors to bounce back to work with an ad film shoot last week.
I hope it gave others courage to resume work. I want to see Bollywood restart with all safety measures, because our industry supports a lot of people. It’s heartbreaking to see them out of work for so long. This was primarily the reason I decided to shoot. I was ecstatic about going back on the set, too. I feel humans adapt and evolve, and if this is the new normal, let’s find a way around this.

Almost everyone has had a lockdown learning. What was yours?
The pandemic has given us a chance to slow down and absorb what’s happening around us. It has made us aware that we are united as humans and things like this impact the world. I hope it will make us think responsibly towards nature, community and our country. It is compelling us to rethink and re-evaluate our beliefs and nudge us to think about sustainability. Going forward, my family and I will invest our thoughts and energies with this key takeaway.