Ayushmann Khurrana on dubbing for his female avatar in an upcoming comedy of errors and a week-long ‘detox break’ with wife Tahira Kashyap in Austria
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 6, 2019)

Ayushmann Khurrana, who has just returned from a week-long vacation in Austria with wife Tahira Kashyap, is excitedly waiting to see the response to his next, the comedy of errors Dream Girl, which opens on September 13. Point out that many people are already smitten by his female alter ego Pooja and the actor admits that the film’s team had toyed with the idea of getting a woman to dub for him and while shooting, he was trying his best to sound like one. “Since I was 80 per cent there, I thought of giving it a try, then, if things didn’t work out, we could try getting an actress or a good voiceover artist on board too. I personally love Priyanka Chopra’s voice,” he informs.

Speaking in a female voice is not new territory for Ayush though. During his days as a radio jockey, he would make prank calls as a woman. When he tried dubbing in a studio for the film, it worked. “Of course, I had to give 30-40 takes, focussing on every single line. It was hard work, but we finally got it right,” he beams, revealing that when he was 15, he would call his first girlfriend’s home, and if one of her parents picked up the phone, he would pretend to be one of her female friends. “I think I’d been preparing for this film for years.”

He’d never cross-dressed for a show or film before but raves about how cute Aamir Khan looked dressed like a girl in the Baazi song “Dole Dole Dil Dole”. “Even Kamal Haasan sir in Chachi 420 looked and sounded like a lady with both Om Puri saab and Amrish Puri saab’s characters in love with his Lakhsmi Godbole. They both inspired me but Dream Girl revolves around the boy who works in a call centre, so I had to wear a saree or a lehenga in only around five scenes,” he points out.

Quiz him on his “detox break” with his better half which came after a long time, and Ayushmann informs that they visited the Austrian spa town of Altaussee. “It’s beautiful and quaint. We walked and hiked, chatted and played chess, and binged on good food. We were so completely chilled out that we didn’t want to come back,” he admits.

Prod him on the chess games and he says that after losing to Tahira thrice, he stopped playing. “Now, there is no other vacation happening soon as I will start shooting for Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan from mid-September in Varanasi. It’s a start-to-finish schedule.”

Couple is keeping it low-key with board games, books and long walks during their week-long stay
Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 30, 2019)

Ayushmann Khurrana, who won his first National Award recently—for his turn in Sriram Raghavan’s AndhaDhun— has taken a break from the promotions of his next film, Dream Girl, to holiday in Austria with wife Tahira Kashyap. According to a source close to the actor, the couple left for the destination on August 24 and are scheduled to return to Mumbai after a week. “Ayushmann had been looking forward to the break as he has worked continuously for the last six months. They will be exploring the scenic Salzburg and Altaussee,” the source informed, adding that the couple is spending their time reading, playing board games and going for long walks.

On Thursday, Ayushmann documented his trip on social media, noting, “Sukoon ki talaash mein duniya ghoom lo. Hota tumhare andar hi hai. (sic)” Tahira kept it more playful, taking a dig at her actor-husband’s competitive attitude. “He was so determined to beat me that he got the chess to the room! (sic),” she remarked.

Last year, it was reported that Tahira is gearing up to make her directorial debut with a slice-of-life film. The project was put on hold when she was diagnosed with cancer. “Now, she is doing pretty good with the treatment. Once they are back in Mumbai, Tahira will continue to fine-tune the script, while Ayushmann will get back to his next release,” the source shared.