The world knows him as an actor and singer, but poetry is the other love of Ayushmann Khurrana’s life. Posing for HT City as he settles down to pen something on World Poetry Day today, he confesses the things he writes poems about has changed over the years.

“In the past, I picked up themes related to social issues, which would question societal norms. I think I’ve now become more generic with love themes and thoughts about everyday life,” muses the 39-year-old, adding, “I’ve become more mainstream with not just films but also poetry.”

The Dream Girl 2 (2023) actor admits to having got a bit more “mainstream” as an artiste and poetry taking a “back seat”, but he makes it a point to pen his thoughts down whenever he gets a chance. “These days, I don’t post my thoughts because I want to keep it for later. Some are a little more intimate for a poem. They are okay for my personal diary, where the access is only with me,” says Khurrana.

Does he think the younger generation connects with poetry? “You would be surprised how much they love it. They love Rahat Indori and a lot of other old-school poets. A lot of contemporary poets such as Gurpreet Saini, Amandeep Khayal and Neeti Pandey write well,” says Khurrana, adding, “Gen Z believes in all kinds of love, and in the words of Ayushmann Khurrana, it goes, ‘Raaste khoobsurat hain tumhare saath, manzil ki filhaal abhi baat nahin karte!’ I had written this couplet four-five years back.”