Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 24, 2018)

He’s in Mathura filming his next, Dream Girl . The hours are long and erratic, the network lousy. But for Ayushmann Khurrana no challenge is insurmountable just as no role is impossible. Always up for a challenge professionally, the actor has been breaking taboos since his first film as a sperm donor. This year, the world woke up to what he has always believed in: That the story is the real hero and super scripts make superstars. With Badhaai Ho, an out-of-the box quirky comedy revolving around a surprise pregnancy, and AndhaDhun, a bizarre ride with eye-popping consequences, Ayushmann is sitting pretty at the top of the heap even as other matinee idols collapsed around him and his own world cracked with a unexpected diagnosis of cancer for his wife. Unfazed and unfettered by the baggage of stardom, the actor gets chatty on what drives him to do the unexpected. Excerpts from an interview:

Since you are shooting for Dream Girl, let us start with your favourite Dream Girl and what it is like to be playing one. What does it do to the male psyche, according to you?
Well, everyone has the perfect Dream Girl in their head. We’ve grown up thinking of Hema ji (Malini) as the ‘Dream Girl’, going by Kishore Kumar’s song in the 1977 film. But today, for me the ‘Dream Girl’ would be my mother or my wife Tahira who have certain qualities I look for in a woman. Talking about the film, I’m glad I’m getting to play this character in such a unique way. We are not getting into the emotional side because the tonality of the film is entertaining. For me playing a woman is not just about the physicality, you have to think like a woman too. You have to understand her perspective…You have to be empathetic, compassionate and considerate… You have to be the perfect gentleman to understand the perfect woman.

Another upcoming film, Bala, has you playing a small-town guy who is facing premature baldness. That’s quite a gamble for an established commercial Hindi film hero given that both men and women are pretty vain about their mane...
As part of my legacy, I take up topics which are real, relatable and socially relevant. Premature balding is suffered by at least 30 per cent males after their 20s and while not a taboo, it is a social issue which hasn’t been showcased in our films. I’m glad we are touching on it now. Lots of men will empathise with Bala because our hair is a part of our beauty, but as the film strives to emphasise, beauty is only skin-deep.

The day you learnt about Tahira’s cancer was also the day the Badhaai Ho collections started coming in. So, on one had you were on a professional high, on the other, your personal life hit an all-time low. How was it balancing the two extremes?
I see this is as our journey, not hers or mine alone. So along with the happiness of having a hit, the battle against cancer was also shared and that made it easier. We are in an almost spiritual stage, experiencing extremes of both emotions, that not many can hope for simultaneously.

Tahira’s positivity makes me positive, her courage gives me courage. She’s had nine cycles of chemotherapy so far but because the cancer was detected at Stage 1 A, they have thankfully been lighter. She has two more left, after January 5 she will be free of them. In the end, it is a great learning experience and has only made us and our bond stronger.

We’ve usually seen you on screen as the good guy-next-door. Though very subtle, AndhaDhun, particularly in its conclusion, offered a streak of grey which was decidedly wicked and different.
That was a part of the plan. The script was written in a certain way and it required me to play Akash in a certain way to endear him to the audience. It was important that they empathise with him at the outset so that in the end, when the twist arrives, it would leave them with some food for thought (Laughs).

Sriram Raghavan (director) is the quintessential rule-breaker. He doesn’t give you a bound script. Everything is there in his head and all you get is a screenplay written in English. A lot of improvisation in terms of lines and scenes happens on the sets. AndhaDhun was a great collaboration with every actor in-sync with his masterplan.

Even though Badhaai Ho and AndhDhun are two of the year’s biggest hits, both the films were gambles that could have easily backfired. Did that thought ever give you sleepless nights?
I started my career as a risk-taker; that’s my USP. Right from Vicky who donates his sperm for money and the somewhat despicable Prem Prakash Tiwari in the first half of Dum Laga Ke Haisha to Mudit in Shubh Mangal Saavdhan who suffers from erectile dysfunction in a domain where everyone is obsessed with masculinity, Badhaai Ho which dealt with a surprise pregnancy and AndhDhun whose premise was dark but it’s tonality humorous, all my films have been risks on paper. The idea is to give unique content laced with entertainment. And, I believe, if a film is entreating, it will always find takers.

Even though you have brought innovative content into Hindi films, you could easily get stereotyped as the ‘middle class hero’, like Amol Palekar in the’80s.
Every actor has his USP. The most important thing is to have a genre of your own. So, while Tiger Shroff has mastered action and Varun Dhawan is a favourite with the kids, I am into breaking taboos on screen. Within that realm, it’s up to me how to be different.

In Badhaai Ho, I was playing a Delhi guy and experimented with three different accents. While at home with my parents who are from Meerut, I was rooted and desi in my lingo, at my workplace and when dealing with my mother-in-law, I was upper-class and urban cool with an anglicised accent. Then, there were my buddies with whom I was speaking Haryanvi Hindi and being the typical North Indian bully. All this helped me add layers to the character and make this guy different.

But do you think you could pass off as a tycoon in a foreign land?
I don’t think we’ve had too many high-class urban films doing well lately, but if the trend were to return, I think I could play such a guy given my convent education and MTV background. At the same time, I have also been doing Hindi theatre, so can adapt to changes and be a part of change. The idea is to evolve with the times.

If it came to you today, would you still accept Vicky Donor?
Definitely. I recollect five films I said ‘no’ to before I accepted Vicky Donor because I always knew I would never get a second chance. Being an outsider, the first film was most important and the film confirmed my belief that novel subjects will always work. Six years later, I reiterate that content which is different, will have more takers rather than the conventional stuff. The market has expanded, digital platforms are a huge threat to films because they have the liberty to churn out edgier content. In this scenario, we need film which are out-of-the-box, even bizarre.

Since you are an actor and Tahira is making her debut as a director soon, do you see the two of you collaborating on a project some day?
She was writing scripts for our theatre group even in Chandigarh and was the first bouncing board for our scripts. Her present script doesn’t have a place for me but I would love to be directed by her someday. It would be a completely new experience for me because usually when I am performing, I like her to be backstage or even outside the auditorium. That’s been the norm since our college days because I get really conscious in front of her. But things are changing. Last year, I hosted the Filmfare Awards and Tahira was in the audience. So, I guess I am evolving.

Have you ever thought of turning writer or director yourself?
I would love to produce and direct at some point, but as of now, I am content with my acting and music. I write poetry and songs but writing a script is a tedious job and the toughest one. You need to switch off from the world completely.

How do your kids, Virajveer and Varushka, react to their celebrity parents?
They have no idea that we are celebrities. We want them to have a well-rounded, normal, healthy upbringing, play with kids of every strata of society and not be in front of the paparazzi all the time. They should not feel like a celebrity at four and six, and if people around want to make them feel that way, I’m there to protect them.

You always come across as a polite, well spoken, considerate guy. Does anything ever rattle Ayushmann Khurrana?
I am not an extreme guy though I did play the character of Ashwatthama in an adaptation of Dharmvir Bharti’s play, Andha Yug, when in college. The son of Guru Dronacharya, he was angry, edgy, even violent. No one expected me to pull it off but I walked away with the Best Actor Award for that performance. I guess everybody has a dark side. But if I get my food on time and seven hours of sleep, I am generally very patient. It’s lack of sleep and food that makes me angry and hungry and that’s a vulnerable time for me. So, when I am in front of the camera, I try to be well-fed and well-rested. Then, I can fight the world.

Your brother Aparshakti recently revealed that when he had confided that he wanted to be an actor and move to Mumbai, you had advised him to wait for the city to call him. When did you know Mumbai was your city?
In 2001, I had come to Mumbai for the first time for the IIT-Powai fest representing our college in debate, music and theatre. I arrived by Paschim Express, second-class sleeper, and the moment I stepped out, I had this crazy connection with the city. That was the year I started doing theatre and I that was also the year when I knew this was where I wanted to live for the rest of my life. It’s a feeling that comes from within.

And that’s when you moved?
It was my father who knew I was ready to make the move. I can be pretty laid-back. He was the one who packed my bags, booked my tickets and pushed me to leave home. This was in the mid-2000s when most parents would be insecure about their son moving to Mumbai to pursue a profession which was not known to be stable, but my father and I have always had a Krishna-Arjun kind of relationship. Radio stations were just coming up then and I became a Radio Jockey. I went to Delhi, then returned, got selected as a VJ. Then in 2012, when there was a new wave in cinema, I got selected for Vicky Donor. I was lucky. When the opportunities were there, I was there. It was all about being at the right place at the right time.

As we come to the end of this year, which film would you pick as your favourite from this year’s bouquet?
It has to be AndhaDhun for me because it is such a genre-defining film. I flipped for it as soon as I heard a one-line narration and called Sriram knowing I was not on his radar. It takes guts to call a director and ask him to audition you. But the way it turned out, made the film all the more special

Five years from now when you look back on 2018, what would be the one defining image of the year?
The collective jubilation and struggles that Tahira and I faced defines the year for me more than any hit or award.

Happening star Ayushmann Khurrana on a hot streak breaks down his craft and shares how he took the quirky route and barged into Bollywood's coveted Rs 100-crore club
Mayank Shekhar (MID-DAY; December 20, 2018)

Firstly, why are you Ayushmann? Shouldn't it be Ayush-man, or Ayush-maan?
If your dad's an astrologer, you have no option but to be born with these spellings! I did not change the spelling, before becoming an actor.

And I believe he changed your name from Nishant, to begin with?
Yes, I was three at the time. I think I'm also the oldest Ayushmann in the world. Now, I see kids who are five or six, named Ayushmann, but none older.

While you're an accomplished lead actor now, someone clearly thought you had a face for radio, which is how you began your career, as an RJ!
(Laughs) I have evolved so much, not just as an actor, but also how I look. You only have to see my pictures [from much younger] — I used to have braces, crooked teeth, used to wear glasses, and was quite a nerd.

So it's radio, Roadies, then a sportscaster on IPL, you had done the full round before your first film.
I always wanted to be an actor but was pretty sure nobody would launch me. Television was a decent route though. I became a VJ on MTV. By default, every VJ gets a chance to be an actor. I had said no to at least five to six films before Vicky Donor (2012).

Do you remember reading any lousy scripts back then?
There was a script called KLPD: Kisses, Love, Pizza and Dhoka. It was a sex comedy. So, I went to Bangkok for a shoot that never started. There was some production locha, we came back. While I was there, I realised, something is off. I was 24. It was this weird story of four couples who fall in love with each other.

What is about filmmakers that they look at you and associate you in some odd way with [stories about] sex?
It's the innocence, the earnestness. I give the clean vibe. That's what Shoojit Sircar told me, when I asked him why he chose me for a sperm donor's role. Do I look like one? And he was like, 'You just look very sanitised.' He said you give a clean vibe, ki achcha ladka hai. Sanskari hai.

You got your first film role, with Shoojit Sircar's Vicky Donor, without a screen test. And your last role, in Sriram Raghavan's Andhadhun, is the first time you auditioned for a part. How did that happen?
I was hosting shows on MTV and Shoojit sir was like, I just want you to be as you are as a VJ: the loud Punjabi guy. So, I did not audition for the part of Vicky Donor. With the last film [Andhadhun], I got to know that he [Sriram Raghavan] had not short-listed anybody for that role. I got to know the one-liner from [casting agent] Mukesh Chhabbra. And I texted him [Raghavan]. He said this is not a slice-of-life film. I said that's why I have come to you. I always wanted to do a thriller, and was getting scripts as well. But, I wanted to work with Sriram Raghavan, because I'm a huge fan-boy.

Fan-boy because of?
Ek Hasina Thi (2004) — that transformed Saif [Ali Khan] for me. Badlapur (2015) transformed Varun [Dhawan] for me. And I wanted my transformation with him. Glad that happened.

Speaking of mentors, the idea of the Godfather has dramatically changed in showbiz. Would you consider MTV as the first, and then Yash Raj as the second?
I would call Shoojit Sircar and Aditya Chopra as my two mentors; and on TV, there was [producer] Siddhartha Basu, who gave me my first TV show, India's Got Talent. He [Basu] gave me a lot of training, to work on my diction and other aspects as an anchor. Similarly, we had lots of workshops for Vicky Donor, because I had been hosting for four-five years, and had to unlearn a lot of stuff, like looking into the camera, for instance. I had to ignore the camera, for a change, and become an actor. So I went to MK Sharma's Act One [in Delhi].

How did Aditya Chopra and you meet?
That was during Bewakoofiyaan (2014). I was not interested in that film and had issues with the script. I told him that I wanted to do this film [only] because I wanted to get into Yash Raj. I asked him why can't you [Yash Raj] manage me anyway? He said, no, you have to do a film with us; then we can manage you. Dum Laga Ke Haisha (2015) was offered to me a month after Bewakoofiyaan started. I was really excited about it. And he [Chopra] was surprised, because it was not a "hero wali" film. He said people won't like you in the first half. And I was okay with that. The script was so unique. After both films released, he began respecting me. He was like, you have an eye for scripts. Sometimes, he bounces certain scripts off me, just to have me read them.

What, according to you, is a good script sense?
I think I should relate to it first. Sometimes, I feel I'm the audience. Most people think audience will like it, even if you don't. But you have to be the audience, to begin with. This thought comes from my theatre background, because we used to write our own scripts. We did street theatre, which is meant to be dark and content-based. But we started making entertaining street plays.

Like singing, dancing, instead of activism, on the streets?
We would have guitars, percussions, so it was like a fun fair. We would do it anywhere — marketplace, college, university. There was a chant, something like, 'Zor se bolo, natak dekho. Saare bolo, DAV ka natak dekho.' DAV was our college. There was a saafa [turban cloth] spread out, and everyone would give money.

You also made money from passengers on college train trips from Chandigarh.
Frankly, most of the kids were from well-off families, so doing this was fun. We'd come to IIT Powai every year in second class sleeper train, sponsored by college. We'd play guitar, dholak, sing retro songs for passengers. I remember one person gave us Rs 500, and we were like kaun hai yeh aadmi? (Laughs). One of our Goa trips after Mood Indigo got sponsored this way.

Glad you said you're from a well-off family. Assuming you haven't slept on Mumbai streets, because everyone from Amitabh Bachchan to Shah Rukh Khan has that exact same story!
Well, we did once miss our train to Goa, and we had to stay the night on Mumbai Central. So yes, station pe soye thhe! I could afford a hotel room, but not for all my friends. It's not that I have a sob story. I came to Mumbai on a plane. Since I didn't have a place, I stayed with a friend in KEM Hospital's hostel. I would go to give auditions, but while coming and going out of the hostel, I'd wear a laboratory coat so no one catches me.



Most traditional Indian parents force their kids to study medicine, engineering. Your father forced you to come to Mumbai and become an actor.
Well, I took sciences in high school, cleared a dental college exam in Karnataka and when I went there, I realised I won't be able to do it. So, I came back to Chandigarh to study arts. After journalism, I thought of taking a sabbatical for two years, because I was not satisfied with myself as an actor. My father told me to go out there [to Mumbai] and learn on the job. He said there is no wrong time to do the right thing.

Now in this nepotism argument, a point that people miss is that there could be such a thing as new fame and old fame. Being from a famous family could just make it easier to deal with fame, because you've already closely seen the ups and downs. You went to an all boys' school, college, became a superstar with your first film, suddenly when there is so much female attention, for instance; did it shake you up?
That happened to me when I was 18. I was on the second season of a reality show called Pop Stars on Channel V, which was won by a group called Asma. I was the first back-up singer for that band; the only one from Chandigarh. I had suddenly become a star in the first year of college. Mera dimaag kharab ho gaya tha! I was getting attention from girls, apart from my girlfriend. I broke up with my girlfriend then, now wife [Tahira Kashyap]. One year after that was disastrous for me, because nothing happened. Then, I realised this is all fickle. Later, Roadies happened, when I was more mature. So I got exposed to these things early in life. And it wasn't sudden fame after Vicky Donor either. It was gradual. Yes, I did have marital issues after Vicky Donor, since everyone wanted a piece of me. As an RJ and VJ, I would work for around 12 days, and the rest were free. So, I had a lot of time for Tahira and we would travel a lot then. Suddenly, everything stopped. I didn't have a single minute for her, and the worst part was she was pregnant. I was a father when the movie [Vicky Donor] released, but I had no time for the family. I was consumed with my own success. It was a professional high and a personal low.

Has that been the story of your life?
Yes. Even now, there is professional high, but personally, very tough [phase]. We are together, but she [Tahira] has gone through cancer. It's always been like that.

If you had to choose between personal and professional, which one would you go for?
(Long pause) It's tough to answer. At the same time, you need to have a solid personal life. Because everything will go. But this will stay.

Getting back to your professional life, your films have also been timed in quick succession — in 2017, Bareilly Ki Barfi and Shubh Mangal Saavdhan released two weeks apart, same with Andhadhun and Badhaai Ho this year. If both went down, you'd be screwed!
It's a coincidence. You'd never want your films to come back-to-back, but I have realised, if your films are good, they will work. Last year [with Bareilly and Shubh Mangal], I was nervous, as both the films had similar texture, and our designers were the same. My mother-in-law, played by Seema Pahwa, was the same. People were getting confused watching the two trailers. Some went to watch Shubh Mangal Saavdhan but had booked tickets for Bareilly Ki Barfi, since both were playing at the same time. This time around, I wasn't nervous, as both Badhaai Ho and Andhadhun had different milieus.

The other back-to-back releases were Hawaizaada and Dum Laga Ke Haisha in 2015. Can you explain what made you choose Hawaizaada?
Just the one-liner I heard. I was fascinated with the character, who apparently constructed India's first unmanned plane before the Wright brothers. But, I realised that it's not necessary that a film that has a good one-liner will last for two hours [the same way]. Every failure is a learning. Hawaizaada should have been more real. I was not expecting a fantasy, or a love story, taking over from the facts and other elements in the film.

Apparently, Aditya Chopra called you up after Hawaizaada's release and said that nobody's luck turns around in 20 days, but yours will. Take us through the phone call.
I was in Chandigarh that time and I needed a break. I wasn't going through my social media, had switched off my phone and was just chilling. But he reached out and said that we have a release on February 27. I was shocked. Pehle hi lagi padi thi and itni jaldi ye aa raha hai (laughs). He said that this is going to be a blessing in disguise and will change your fortune. And it did.

You, Vicky Kaushal and Rajkummar Rao show up on Karan Johar's talk show, where guests are routinely asked to rank the three of you. What's also common between you all is that you've subverted the idea of on-screen masculinity through your roles. You come from Chandigarh, which is the most macho city ever. How did you get to subversion of masculinity from there?
This happened because the scripts are more real, and the credit should go to scriptwriters. Of course, as actors, we have chosen those scripts, and are taking their idea forward. Coming from Chandigarh, I have gone through a transition myself. Back in the day, I was slightly patriarchal. I wasn't exposed to certain things. I came to Mumbai, and before that, Delhi. I believe everyone goes through a change. The idea is to make every small-town guy be a part of that change. There are two different countries in India — urban, which is 25-30 per cent; and the other that's rural. We need to get these two together. I expect that change to happen [to everyone] through cinema, or literature.

Give me an example in the way you have changed?
My mother is a housewife. When I started dating Tahira, I told her that you don't need to work, and that I'll be the breadwinner. She was shocked. She told me it wasn't about the money. She wanted to pursue her passion for herself. I told her then that we can't marry. And she told me, 'That's cool. We should definitely not marry!' She has been instrumental in changing me. I was uncouth and was brought up among rustic guys in Chandigarh, Haryana and Punjab. I went to an all boys' school. I didn't even know how to talk to a woman. She turned me into a gentleman. Whatever I am today, I owe a lot to my wife.

When you go back, do you find your friends to be just the way they were?
Most of them have changed, but some have remained similar. During Diwali, I always go back to Chandigarh. I was having debates about the #MeToo movement hearing stuff like, 'Abhi kya bolne ki zaroorat thi. Dus saal pehle kyun nahi bola?' Everybody was making the same argument. And I was like, 'Kya kar rahe ho yaar? Ab toh badal jao!'

Speaking of #MeToo movement, I'm told, you've had an incident yourself. Take us through it?
It was a gay casting-director. I have nothing against him. I was new to the city, and he said, 'Why don't you come and show me your d*** and I'd like to feel it, and you'll get a role!' If I was gay, I would have thought about it. I was single at the time! I told him that I wanted to make it with my own talent; otherwise I wouldn't be happy getting the role. We had a healthy discussion and parted ways.

We're going to end with confirming two rumours about you. One, that you've actually donated sperm; true?
Yes! I did it in Allahabad, during Roadies, in 2004. Sperm donation was a task. Guys with the highest sperm count would go in the next round. So I was in top three. So Vicky Donor was like method acting for me [laughs]. Shoojit Sircar was shocked when I told him about this incident.

And you brush four times a day?
Yes! I have an OCD. It started when I had braces, and the food would get stuck, so I used to brush a lot. And this habit has continued.

Transcribed by Mohar Basu, Sonil Dedhia and Sonia Lulla

As told to Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 17, 2018)

I once told my grandmother that I wanted to be an actor. She responded by slapping me because back then acting was neither a respectable profession nor a stable one. Since I was good in studies, I opted for chemistry and biology in the 11th standard with an aim to get into medicine. I even got enrolled in a dental college in Karnataka. Before that I’d dream of becoming a lawyer or an architect. But deep down, I always knew I wanted to be an actor so one day I confided in my dad who told me that I couldn’t jump into it straight after high school, but if I continued to get good grades, I would be allowed to act.

That’s how I started dabbling in theatre when in college on the condition that my attendance would be 100 per cent and I would continue to be among the toppers. I started attending the local theatre festivals and even started a theatre group called Manchtantra and later was one of the founder members of Aghaz, the theatre group of DAV College, Chandigrah. We were the first students who got to travel across the country, going to college festivals at IIT Powai and BITS Pilani. After being exposed to theatre groups in the metros we quickly realised how bad we were.

Also, I attended an all-boys college and at Oasis, the annual festival at BITS, I saw guys and girls hanging out together, smoking up and performing brilliantly on stage. It was a real culture shock! In our white shirts and black trousers we looked like waiters and were hooted off stage. After returning to Chandigarh we started reading up and made our plays more edgy. The next year, we were the first non-metro college to win the first prize at IIT Powai’s Mood Indigo. That was the turning point. I still remember the year; it was 2002.

After our triumphant return with the trophy, our principal enquired if someone from our theatre group could host an event. That was my first experience as an anchor. I conducted the entire event and the principal was so happy with it, she paid me Rs 2000. I gave my first salary to my mother who was touched by my gesture. Rs 2000 was big money back then.

In my final year of college I won the ‘All-rounder student’ Award and enrolled at Chandigarh’s Punjab University for a course in mass communication and print journalism. My dad wanted me to have a sound education in case I didn’t make it as an actor. I followed in the steps of Shah Rukh Khan who had also studied mass communication before he chose acting as a career. He is my idol, one of the most educated actors around.

After that I came to Mumbai and started giving auditions for TV shows and films. I also auditioned for radio. I was selected and sent to MICA (Mudra Institute of Communications), Ahmedabad, for training as a radio jockey. There were 70 of us and we were put up at a hostel. Along with our studies, we ran a community radio station, MICA Vani, for the villagers. We’d invite them and they would request for their favourite songs. At 22, straight out of college, I landed my first job in Delhi, a morning show when people would be driving to work. I was the youngest RJ (right) during morning hours. There were hoardings of me all around the city. It was exciting!

From RJ, I graduated to a VJ. MTV was specifically auditioning radio presenters for a current affairs infotainment show — news with a twist. Jose Covaco and Bani J were selected along with me. For four years I was a household name as an MTV anchor. I also hosted the first two seasons of India’s Got Talent and the IPL, along with Just Dance, Music Ka Mahamuqabla and several award shows. Then, Vicky Donor happened in 2012, and I was finally an actor as well.


Ayushmann in MTV Roadies

Chaya Unnikrishnan (DNA; May 31, 2018)

Ayushmann Khurrana is not only anti-smoking but he has also never been tempted to light up in his growing up years. He was not even influenced by his theatre background, where most people live on chai and cigarettes. The actor has had to take a few drags for some roles in his films in order to essay his onscreen characters effectively, but it hasn’t been easy. On World No Tobacco Day today, the Shubh Mangal Saavdhan actor talks about the advantages of being a non-smoker and how he manages to practise what he preaches.

Despite being a non-smoker, you have been seen taking a drag in films. How did you manage it?
I’ve never had the inclination to smoke, but I’ve had to do it for my movies. While shooting for Dum Laga Ke Haisha, there was a small scene where the female protagonist is shocked that I am taking a puff. But in my upcoming film Badhaai Ho, I had to take 10 drags continuously. It was difficult because I started puking after that. I had to give five takes as I couldn’t get it right. In Meri Pyaari Bindu, it was easier because director Akshay Roy was a non-smoker. So, he could not gauge if I was really smoking or not. There are two ways to do it, either you inhale it or you don’t. I was not inhaling the smoke. But in Amit Sharma’s (director of Badhaai Ho) case, he is a Delhi boy and he was clear that I should do it for real or not do it at all. So I did, but it was too heavy for me. You should be selfish for your health and stay away from cigarettes as it’s not good.

Haven’t you been tempted to smoke?
No, I have never been tempted though I come from a theatre background where smoking was a common practice. I have a wonderful story to tell. My father used to be a chainsmoker and usually, children take after their parents. It’s their first induction. Having said that, in the mid-’90s, I asked my father, ‘Why don’t you quit smoking?’ He just smiled and said okay, ‘I will quit, but you have to promise me you’ll never smoke in your life.’ I promised him and he did not light up after that because he is headstrong and never goes back once he commits himself. I have also kept my promise to him.

What message would you send out to the boys and girls of impressionable age who may be tempted to take a puff?
As I said, most children hero-worship their parents, especially, young boys who consider their father as a superhero. A father is someone who doesn’t do wrong, so whatever he does, the son will imbibe. That’s why, it’s imperative that parents send out the right message and set a precedent. It’s important to not smoke. What happens is your body gets used to it and you feel you have to take a drag to freshen up in morning. In such cases, one has to join rehab centres where your body learns to live without cigarettes. It’s difficult but not impossible for a chain smoker to kick the butt.

Not only parents, but teenagers also get influenced by peer pressure...
(Cuts in) Yes, peers influence you, but you have to be wise enough to stay away from it. You also look younger if you don’t smoke. Being an actor, you need to look a certain way. I will give you a practical example of what happened when I participated in Roadies in 2004. There was a task of sperm donation and my sample was selected because I was a non-smoker. Most of the contestants in Roadies were smokers. I used to donate blood also because I had a healthy haemoglobin. All these things matter a lot.

Have you always been conscious about your health?
Yes, I had no inclination towards smoking or drinking. Nobody said no to it. My father was lenient — in fact, he is an occasional drinker, but I don’t drink. Health is everything; if you have it, you will lead a good life.

Do you follow any particular diet?
I live to eat. Thankfully, I’m blessed with good metabolism. It’s only before a film shoot that I follow a certain diet for a couple of months. I eat fewer carbs, stay away from wheat, consume less rice, etc, otherwise I eat everything. My favourite food is homemade rajma chawal. I love Indian cuisine, be it from North East, Gujarat or the South.

Do you cook?
Khaane se fursat hi nahin milti, when will I cook! My brother Aparshakti, however, has discovered his love for cooking, recently. I am shocked! Both of us love to eat and now he has acquired a sudden passion for cooking (laughs).

What is your fitness mantra?
I maintain a fit body. I have never had bulging biceps because I never went for that. But I would like to explore that side where I have to put on muscles if I get to play such a character. I am known for realistic films, so I maintain a natural physique by doing a combination of weight training and cardio.

The actor talks about why he loves theatre, but does more films instead, how nostalgia drives his love for trains and more...
Sarita A Tanwar (DNA; May 25, 2016)


You still travel by train between Delhi and Chandigarh. Don’t you get mobbed?
Shatabdi Express has two bogies of executive class. I think most of the ministers and VIPs of the region, travel in business class. So people are used to that and they don’t hound you that much. And of course, in some case they’ll take pictures, five-10 minutes and then they’ll do their own thing.

Why do you like this mode of transport?
I love train travel for the sake of nostalgia. My mother is from Delhi and we used to travel by Shatabdi Express during summer vacations. There is Pashchim Express and Rajdhani Express. I know a lot of trains by their names. Even when I was doing theatre, I used to travel from Chandigarh to Mumbai and there was this train called Punjab Mail which I used to travel by.

That’s the slowest train in the world.
It takes 42 hours from Delhi and it stops at every nondescript station. I remember coming to Mumbai for Mood Indigo, we 10-15 bunch of boys with dholak and guitars for street plays and we used to sing for the passengers, travelling from bogey to bogey and we used to collect money. We used to collect so much money that after finishing the concert, we used to sponsor our Goa trips with that money. Also, I think when you travel by trains, you listen to music clearly. You know travelling by air, I think more people watch movies to kill the time. You connect better with music when you are on a train. This is another reason why I prefer travelling by train.

Do you miss theatre, any plans to return?
There is this logic to it. Theatre is for the soul, not for the stomach. In India, you don’t get paid very well as a theatre actor. Hats off to those people who are following this passion without any material gains. They are the purer souls who believe that theatre is bigger, which it is. Theatre is bigger than cinema because it’s a live medium. You get instant reactions from the audience. Like in films, whatever you shoot for, you can see it. Then the critics watch it and reviews follow. But on stage, it’s right in front of you. You get to know whether it’s working or not.

How does it feel being on stage?
I think, the first performance is the most jittery one. One is so nervous about how people are going to react. After 10 performances, you feel you will be able to do it but every time you go on stage, you feel slightly nervous. That nervous energy is very important. It gets converted into a good performance.

I’m sure the performance is never the same. That little things change...
Of course, every single time. I don’t know why, but you get slightly conscious when there are theatre actors sitting there in front. In front of the janta, it is easy. You also become slightly conscious and with repeat audiences also. They know what’s going to happen.

You have done plays in Hindi. You are bi-lingual like Amitabh Bachchan.
I am a huge fan of Bachchan Saab.... I think even for the FICCI Frames, I delivered the entire seminar in Hindi. I began with ‘Shrotaon ko namaskar’. I studied English Literature but in college I did public speaking in Hindi. There was this Akhil Bhartiya Vaad Vivadh Pratyogita in Delhi, I got third prize in that. I was the only one from the English department, rest were all from the Hindi department.

Any other bi-linguals in your family?
My mom is MA in Hindi, so it comes from her as well. She does not know Punjabi. My mom is half-Burmese, half-Punjabi but she stayed in Delhi. Her mom was Burmese aur unko sirf Burmese hi aati thi, thodi tooti-phooti Hindi bhi. My dad speaks Punjabi. My dad speaks Punjabi in Hindi, my dad speaks Hindi with a Punjabi accent. So by default meri dono languages achchi ho gayi.

From reality shows to feature films, Ayushmann Khurrana has made it in Bollywood on his own
Deepa Narayanan (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 26, 2015)

Piyush Nathani, a 19-year-old first year student of electrical engineering, has been hoping to meet Ayushmann Khurrana ever since he watched Vicky Donor. "Ayushmann is almost like an all-rounder with so many talents," he tells us excitedly, as we walk into Andheri's Woodside Inn.

Ayushmann Khurrana walks in a little later, looking dapper, his effervescent smile reaching out to all in the room. After giving an excited but a nervous Nathani a warm handshake, Khurrana tries to put him at ease. He enquires about his college and his hometown Raipur.

Then Nathani begins quizzing Khurrana. His first question is about his win on Roadies Season 2, in 2004. "Do you think Roadies helped you shape your movie career?"

"If you remember, in Roadies there was a task to donate sperm in Allahabad. Another task was in Agra, where I had to pick up a girl and run. While the first task was the central theme in Vicky Donor, the second task was my climax in Dum Laga Ke Haisha. So, I am going to say that Roadies definitely helped me in movies," says Khurrana with a laugh.

But wasn't Khurrana interested in pursuing medicine, Nathani remembers reading somewhere. "Honestly, I wasn't good enough to become a doctor. But I was good enough to be an actor," says Khurrana with a chuckle. "I discovered early enough that I loved acting, and my parents were supportive about my decision. I was very active on stage in school. I formed two theatre groups in college. As Chandigarh was not on the national college fest radar, we participated in fests across India, and won many accolades."

The next thing that Nathani wants to know is, of all the tags — traveller, poet, singer and actor — which one does he prefer the most?

"Just one talent is enough to see you through a lifetime. I believe I am a textured singer. And, though my first big play in school was the musical Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, for which I was chosen because I could sing, I moved to acting and street plays in college. We introduced music in our street plays to make them entertaining, but also thought-provoking and socially relevant. I hope to sing more some day," says Khurrana.

"You seemed very comfortable with the pure Hindi dialogues in Dum Laga Ke Haisha. Was that really as easy as it seemed to us?" asks Nathani. "I inherited my love for Hindi from my mum, who speaks only in pure Hindi, despite having lived in Chandigarh all her life. And yes, I loved the pure Hindi dialogues in the film — I think it gave the movie an exotic feel. 'Ye grahast jeevan ka gurutwakarshan daldal me khenechke rahega mujhe, shakha babu,'" says Khurrana, rattling out one of his favourite dialogues from the film to an amused Nathani, who's ready to shoot off his next, "Who is the most significant person in your life?" "My father — we share a Krishna-Arjun relationship. I am very laidback. He's the one who drives me to reach my potential. For instance, after college and a course in journalism, I wanted to take a sabbatical to add to my skills — learn acting, singing, some horse riding. Strangely, my bags were already packed and tickets booked and I was thrown out of home. People usually run away to join the industry, but my dad made me run away," says Khurrana, laughing.

"Coming from a non-filmy background, how hard do you think it is for 'outsiders' to make it in the industry?" asks Nathani. "I think we are in the best era for 'outsiders' to break into the industry — there is no nepotism now. And it is an age of content-based cinema," says Khurrana. "Outsiders may never get that 'big launch', but they can still manoeuvre their way around — say, through television. The small screen is not small anymore. But you must make the right choice. When I was a part of MTV in 2008-2012, I kept getting movie offers — all second leads, or heroine's best friend — but I chose to wait it out. People don't forget bad films, and that becomes a baggage. So I think you must be very choosy about your first film."

"So what's next?" asks Nathani. "I like doing different kinds of movies. So there's an untitled film, and I am jamming on ideas with Shoojit Sircar," he signs off, but not before teasing a blushing Nathani. "Hey, you can reveal your personal life to me. I won't tell anyone."

Ayushmann Khurrana breathes a sigh of relief as Dum Laga Ke Haisha comes as a welcome respite from his spate of current failures
Sneha Mahadevan (DNA; March 7, 2015)


Your debut Vicky Donor was a huge hit, but you couldn’t make a mark with your other films after that. Was it disappointing?
I have been rejected in most auditions so I am immune to success and failure. I also believe that success is a very lousy teacher. You learn a lot from your failures. Apart from that, you learn a lot from every film. Your craft just improves with every film and I am just glad I did all those films. It was the curse of the first benchmark film — the debut film was so big that it reached a cult status. It was a film made with Rs 4 crores and it reached Rs 50 crores. That’s why I think the expectations were so high! But after the last film (Hawaizaada), I think the expectations weren’t there at all! (Laughs)

Ever have self-doubt in the period that your films weren’t doing well?
Till the time your craft is being appreciated, there can’t be any self-doubt. You can doubt your decisions for sure but you cannot doubt your craft. I have been doing this — music and theatre since childhood. So there was no self-doubt. I always believed in myself.

Your choices in terms of films have been slightly off-beat. Is it a conscious decision?
I don’t know! Bewakoofiyaan was a conventional rom-com but apart from that, every film was unconventional. Sometimes, you get close to the character and choose scripts with roles that are similar to you in real life as well. Dum Laga Ke Haisha is also different as I had to speak a language I didn’t really know. There is this guy Mahesh in the film who was sent to Gujarat so I used to just eat with him, converse with him, that is how I picked up the accent. I can grasp languages easily.

You think this is one movie that has made you Ayushmann Khurrana beyond Vicky Donor because until now, VD was the only film that did really well.
Of course. Definitely and thank God for that. Nautanki Saala was a hit but the perception was that it didn’t do well. My father thinks this is bigger than Vicky Donor and my mother thinks I have surpassed my debut film as well. I have grown a lot in this film for sure. It is also progressive like my debut film was, though in its own way. It speaks about woman emancipation. It is also about a guy who is very complex. As a nation, we have not really spoken about male emancipation. And this film talks about it.

How do you manage to juggle both singing and acting?
I used to unwind with music when I was anchoring on television but now it has become a part of my profession. If your passion is your profession, nothing can beat that. You are very lucky and fortunate that whatever comes naturally to you, you are doing it to earn a living. Not many people have the liberty of saying that. Every person who is an actor or an artist, is following that passion and you are getting paid to follow that, then you are just lucky.

DNA (November 22, 2014)


The mood: Papa Jag Jayega...
The tweet: I have never seen my dad crave for chocolate in the past. This was our first combined midnight refrigerator siege. Slurp!

The mood: Kabhie Kabhie mere dil mein khayal aata hai:
The tweet: I am just another patient guy in an impatient world

The mood: Hai hai yeh Majboori
The tweet: I’m so dependant on the world around me. I don’t even know how to buy groceries. Need to live in anonymity for a month, to learn basic life.

The mood: Ishq kutta hai:
The tweet: One more thing I like about dogs is they don’t care about actors.

The mood: Main Aisa Kyun hoon
The tweet: It takes me a while to consider everything and pass a judgement. I’m clearly not that bright.

The mood: Aap yahan aaye kis liye
The tweet: I don’t want to make my living looking great all the time. Improving your craft with worn-out tees and no-product hair is a wiser option.

The mood: Yeh raat bheegi bheegi
The tweet: Late night pack up! #nowplaying A Sky Full Of Stars by @coldplay in this moonless night in the small town of Gondal. #gujarat