A couple of years ago, a young brigade of actors took Bollywood by storm. And one of the torch-bearers of this league was the very talented and super witty, Ayushmann Khurrana. The VJ-turned-actor had wowed the audience with his realistic performance in his debut film, Vicky Donor. Needless to say, he is one of the most celebrated youth icons of our country today.
However, despite becoming an overnight star, Ayushmann is still a humble Punjabi munda at heart. So it’s always fun to catch up with him. When I met him for a fun chat recently, he wooed me all over again with his wit and charm. (Watch his fun rapid fire here. PS: He flaunts his pink chuddies on camera!) Of course, his endless love for cinema is praise-worthy too. Check out my interview with the Hawaizaada about his upcoming flick.
For those who enjoy reading interviews more than watching them, here’s a low-down on everything that he said.
On playing such a unique role…
You know, Hawaizaada is a very novel script. It’s a different film about a guy, who made the world’s first aircraft, an Indian called Shivkar Talpade. You know when I heard the one liner (the guy who made the first aircraft was an Indian), I was just bowled over. And of course, it’s a very challenging role for me because I am a non-Maharashtrian. I have been playing this quintessential North-Indian guy in my last three films. So this is definitely out of my comfort zone and I am loving it.
On his experience on sets…
I have lost the fear of heights while doing this film. Because you know, we have a natural tendency of getting slightly frightened when we are high up in the air. But I was suspended in the air for so long while we were shooting for this film. I was on the harness for almost like 25 per cent of the film. But you know, after four takes, I was comfortable up in the air.
On the pressures of the role…
I think I started with unconventional films and then my next two films were conventional. I have realized one thing – the unconventional way is my way and I am really excited about Hawaizaada. More than anything else, we live in an era where people have accepted unconventional films as commercial films. Because the lines between the so called art cinema or commercial cinema have become blurred.
On working with Pallavi Sharda…
Pallavi is a very talented girl and she’s playing a tamaasha dancer in the film. And it was a prerequisite to have a classically trained dancer for this particular character. And she is a Bharatnatyam dancer. Apart from that, I think she is one of the most intelligent actors I have worked with.
On why people should watch Hawaizaada…
It’s going with the time I think. The timing is so correct, when there’s this patriotic fervor with PM Narendra Modi going across the world and talking to Indians. We always look for that hero amongst ourselves, who could make us proud. And Shivkar Talpade is one such character. And it’s an untold story of an unsung hero. This is somebody we failed to honour. This character was waiting for validation for the past 150 years. This is the time we should actually acknowledge his achievement. So watch Hawaizaada on 30th on January, 2015.
I am definitely going to catch this flick first day first show. What about you guys?