Ayushmann Khurrana is known for his distinct genre of films, which can be best described as out-of-the-box, quirky, brave, and rare. In a career spanning over a decade, he has broken some rules, made new ones, and marched ahead. At a recent session at FICCI Frames 2023, the actor spoke about how he has held his own as an unconventional actor, and what made him redefine the new-age mainstream hero in Bollywood.

Talking about what prompted him to make the unorthodox career choices that he did, he says, “I think in every era there has been space for every kind of character, every kind of actor. In the 2010s there was a definite void for an actor who was also a character, especially, around the time Vicky Donor (2012) happened. The protagonist was a part of an unconventional film that did commercially well, which was not the norm in the past. When I came to Mumbai in 2008, Ranbir Kapoor had just made his debut. At the time there was this void for actors in their 20s as most of them were in their 30s or 40s. When Ranbir made his debut, I was like, yeh toh aa gaya, ab main kya karunga? Then Ranveer Singh came into the industry in 2010 and again, it made me think… yeh bhi aa gaya ab main kya karunga? I had no option but to take the unconventional path and fortunately, it worked for me. I was an anchor on television, and Shoojit Sircar saw something in me (for Vicky Donor). I didn’t even audition for that film, and it all started there.”

While the Andhadhun actor was eagerly waiting to step onto the silver screen, he was extremely cautious about picking the right film to make his debut, even if that meant turning down as many as six offers as a newcomer. “I was a television presenter at that time and was very secure. I was interviewing actors and learning from their success and mistakes. I had this notion ki agar meri pehli picture nahi chali toh mujhe doosra mauka nahi milega. I had six chances before, but the scripts didn’t resonate with me. Vicky Donor was a breath of fresh air. Shoojit Sircar was a credible director and I always thought that this film will earn a lot of credibility, but the kind of commercial success it got was beyond my expectation”.

When asked about the risks he has taken in his journey to becoming Bollywood’s unconventional star and being the one to create a certain genre of films which is unique to him, he explains, “I have built my entire career on risks. I cannot not take risks. I can’t really see myself in a typical commercial potboiler. I have always been an unconventional actor. The only trip in my life is to do something which is out of the box and something which is being attempted in Hindi cinema for the first time.”

He further adds, “I just focus on one film at a time, and I want the film to engage the audience in a certain way. When I had back-to-back commercial successes, all the subjects were unconventional. I never thought that I would be making a genre for myself, it is too much to think about. I was just taking one film at a time and doing my own thing.”

The actor has worked with several firsttime directors, like Hitesh Kewalya (Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan), Raaj Shaandilyaa (Dream Girl) and Anirudh Iyer (An Action Hero). And what excites him about working with them is that even they have this urge to push boundaries, and of course, it also helps to keep the film’s budget in check. “The risk-taking capabilities of first-time directors are far more than the seasoned ones. The kind of scripts that I get, by default, are with first-time directors. Also, it is about the budgeting of these films. My films are not mounted on a 100-crore scale, so it’s easy to manage the budget of the film I do with a first-time director. The subjects that I pick are risky, and out of syllabus for Bollywood, hence, they have to be made on a certain budget, so that it works out well for everyone,” he says.

What stands out in a film headlined by Ayushmann, is also the ensemble cast – who bring along their talent, quirk and energy to the subject. Elaborating on that, the Badhaai Ho actor says, “In my films, I am not really obsessed with my own character, I am obsessed with the whole story. I may not be the main driver of the story, as the characters around me are also very strong, whether it is Jaideep Ahlawat in An Action Hero, Rajkummar Rao in Bareilly Ki Barfi, Gajraj Rao and Neena Gupta in Badhaai Ho or Bhumi Pednekar in Dum Laga Ke Haisha.”

The actor who has never been bound by any medium, having started out as a radio jockey and then going to become a mainstream Hindi film actor, says that the digital medium excites him. He shares, “OTT is like the IPL where there’s emerging talent and has space for a lot of people. All we need to do is choose the correct medium for a correct project – that has been my learning from the pandemic. I love the OTT space. No medium is small, be it television or radio. Agar aap ek artiste hai toh aap theatre mein perform karke bhi khush ho sakte ho.”