Ayushmann Khurrana Quotes

During my growing-up years in Chandigarh, or even in Mumbai, I’ve never come across nasty people. I’ve only heard of it but never seen the bad side of the film industry. Of course I was rejected many times in auditions. But I wouldn’t call that rude.

I approach all my films as my first. If you carry that innocence, it reflects in the camera. I know I have become a star but I don't want to believe it. I want to be that simple, no fuss guy who approaches a film as if it is my first movie.

We have made street plays on social issues and caste discrimination was one of them. Apart from that, I have been supporting an NGO in Delhi. I did all this before ‘Article 15’ came into the picture.

I think I’ve evolved as an actor. My performance was appreciated. People are saying I am not a one-film wonder. That’s the best part of being in this film.

In this society, chauvinism is mistaken for chivalry. It's tough to change that. This film will trigger change in the right direction.

Some people presumed I was just being myself in Vicky Donor, a Punjabi boy trying to find my bearings in life. I had to work much harder on this character in Nautanki Saala. I had to get into a different skin. And the bromance between me and Kunal Roy Kapoor is immensely liked as well.

In Darr, SRK says that his height is 5’9" or 5’10", so I wanted to be 5’9", at least. I used to pray to God every day, ki bhagwan meri height 5’9" kar do. My father is 5’5" and my mother is about the same. So my hopes were really meagre. And then, I grew to five-nine-and-a-half! I was over the moon. I always knew that I had the talent, but height was a bit of a gamble.

As a person, I was always intrigued by the caste divide in the country. We have separate utensils for our domestic help, we do not share a meal with them or any of our staff. It is all deep rooted. It will take time to get rid of all this. We need to look within and then the conversation will be started. In rural areas the caste divide is very rampant, there are honour killings because of inter-caste alliances. We have depicted the situation as real as it could be in our film.

When I was doing theatre in Chandigarh, I always played negative and aggressive characters, something that nobody could imagine me in. I did imagine myself to play a cop but maybe people did not. Anubhav Sinha sir also never expected me in the role of a tough cop. And that was the challenge. More than the character, it was the subject that intrigued me.

I was lucky to have him as my co-star. Just like Annu Kapoor, who was such a help in Vicky Donor, Kunal gave my character perspective and provided concentrated energy. Beyond that, I never have any expectations from life.

If you have a mainstream actor attached to a subject like this, it reaches out to a wider audience. We want to reach out to people who believe in caste discrimination and if we are able to change the mindset of one person that will be the true victory for us.

Most contestants had moved base to Mumbai to cash in on the Roadies fame. My dad told me that I wasn’t prepared. There was no dearth of talent in Mumbai, but there was a dearth of intelligent talent. He asked me not to skip my education.

When I auditioned for TV, they used to tell me all sorts of things. Some said my eyebrows were too thick. Others said my accent was too Punjabi. But I also knew that, being an outsider, merely auditioning for film roles wouldn’t have got me a film. You have to prove your mettle as an actor on TV or in some other medium. Be it me, Sushant Singh Rajput or even SRK and Vidya Balan – everyone has proven their worth on television [before entering Bollywood.]

That's exactly the reaction we wanted. This is good trolling. In a country where erectile dysfunction is a taboo subject, I am glad that we are putting it out there for the public to discuss it.

As an artist, I'm a constant learner of the craft of acting. I'm always looking out for films that make me better, that challenge my thinking, my beliefs and opens me up to absorb new things. Andhadhun has truly been one such film that has shaped me as an actor today. It taught me to challenge my inhibitions and showcase a completely different side to my craft that surprised me and also pleasantly surprised the audiences. I'm thankful to my director Sriram Raghavan for trusting me with his vision and thankful to the universe for giving me projects like this which I can be so proud of.