As her directorial venture Pinni drops today, Tahira Kashyap hopes to break stereotypes about homemakers with a short film inspired by Ayushmann Khurrana's mom
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; February 19, 2020)

When it came to her short film Pinni, Tahira Kashyap did not have to look too far for inspiration — the director, who uses her voice to bring women's stories to the fore, says the Neena Gupta starrer is inspired by her mother-in-law Poonam Khurrana.

"I have observed my mother-in-law for several years. She has been making pinnis [Punjabi laddoos] for the family for years. While Ayushmann likes pinnis made from wheat flour, I prefer the gluten-free ones. My mother-in-law is so sweet that she makes different kinds for different family members," she grins. While the idea for the Guneet Monga-produced film came from her mother-in-law's devotion to her family, Kashyap wove a fictional story around it. "The film is based on my observation that homemakers are often restricted to a stereotype. Despite being intelligent, they are not allowed to take decisions. With Pinni, I wanted to break these stereotypes."

Like her, husband Ayushmann Khurrana too challenges the status quo with his offerings. Ask her if a collaboration with hubby dearest is on the cards, and she says, "I would love to work with him. Ayushmann is my senior in terms of work. So, I need to prove myself before I approach him. Currently, I am obsessed with telling women's stories. The day I write from a man's perspective, I will approach him."

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.

Ayushmann Khurrana (DNA; May 14, 2017)

Life began with waking up and loving my mother's face
—George Eliot

For every child, its mother is the most beautiful creation. I remember I troubled my mother a lot, but she never let go of her smile. Mothers are like perfect souls to their children.

Even when I think about the actors who played my mother on screen, I see perfection. Dolly Ahluwalia in Vicky Donor was adorable. Blindly in love with her donor son. Loud, expressive and impulsive. At the same time, Alka Amin in Dum Laga Ke Haisha had dry humour. Again blindly in love with her loser despicable son. The common factor is the blind unconditional love.

That's how mothers are. They are wired to love their children. Their love is so unadulterated that it is difficult for them to be objective about their own kids. Fathers, on the other hand, have a tendency to be over-critical. Sanjay Mishra was such a bully of a father in Dum Laga Ke Haisha. A mother can never become that person. Even Aparajitha in Meri Pyaari Bindu has the affection of the entire world for Abhimanyu to the point of being jealous of Bindu.

Dear mom, mother or mummy? I think 'Mama' sounds the best. It has an adorable vibe. Thanks, Mama, for giving me patience and composure. These are my biggest talents. I'm ever-smiling just like you. I'm the shadow of your calm self.

I'm a simple guy because of your pure upbringing. And what I would have done if I was born without your dimples? I'm guilty of not calling you everyday. But I think about you and your well being every single day. You may never be expressive as a person, you never say anything. But whenever you see me your eyes well up and that explains a lot.

You still give me money for luck in that loud envelope before bidding adieu. That's been happening since time immemorial. I don't call you everyday. But with a mother like you, everyday should be celebrated as Mother's Day.

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.

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.