‘I want to do a biopic on Kishore Kumar’: Ayushmann Khurrana

Ayushmann Khurrana can’t stop grinning. He has been inundated with compliments for his turn as a blind pianist in his last release AndhaDhun, which has got rave reviews. It’s all the more special for the actor as it is his first thriller. Not only that, the trailer of his next, Badhaai Ho, has already created a buzz. It sees him returning to his forte — a slice-of-life comedy. “I’m expecting a good opening. It’s a festival release (it opens in cinemas on October 18, Dussehra), which is a first for me, so I’m really proud of that,” he says happily. Here, Ayushmann talks about his upcoming movie, its clash with Namaste England and the biopic he has his heart set on...   

‘I approached Sriram for AndhaDhun’

Ayushmann got to know from casting director Mukesh Chhabra that filmmaker Sriram Raghavan was looking for somebody to be cast in his next. “I was probably not on Sriram’s radar, but I texted him after getting a one-liner from Mukesh. However, Sriram said it’s not a slice-of-life film and I told him I didn’t expect that from him! I said, ‘If you are not convinced, let’s do a screen test.’ It was a long scene and after that, he said, ‘Let’s discuss the dates’,” confesses the actor, who always wanted to do a thriller. The former anchor also considers it his most challenging role till date. “I have not worked so hard on the nuances of any character ever in the past. The director did not want a body double, so I focussed on the music pieces, met a blind pianist and took lessons from a piano teacher, Akshay Verma,” he shares, before adding that the lenses he wore for the role took away 80 per cent of his vision during the shoot. “I couldn’t see properly, it was all hazy, so the body language was real,” he reveals.

No wonder, the 34-year-old is “overwhelmed” with the response. “It has got four to five stars, which is unbelievable. It has a dark premise, but the tonality is fun. I am glad I did this movie,” he beams.

Back to slice-of-life films with Badhaai Ho

Though AndhaDhun was his attempt to break from the clutter of slice-of-life films that he is known for, Badhaai Ho will see him returning to that zone. “During the narration, I was cracking up every five minutes. It was a no-brainer for me and it takes my legacy of doing such movies forward. People expect it from me,” he grins. 

The comedy, which features Sanya Malhotra, Neena Gupta and Gajraj Rao, deals with late parental pregnancy. “Parents are judged when they have a child at a later stage. There is nothing wrong with physical relations at that age, but having a huge gap between children becomes slightly embarrassing for the elder siblings. Peers make fun of you and you feel awkward,” elaborates Ayushmann. He feels that it was normal in the days when people had nine to 10 children, where the difference between the eldest and youngest sibling would be 20 years. In fact, one of Ayushmann’s close friend’s father is 90 years old, almost his grandfather’s age! “It’s only now and that too, in urban areas where people get married late that having a sibling when you are 20 becomes awkward. The humour emanates from that,” reasons the singer-actor.       

Two films releasing within a close gap 

While AndhaDhun opened in cinemas about a fortnight ago, Badhaai Ho hits theatres on October 18. “Ideally, there should be a fair gap between two films, but the first priority is to have a good release date. And I think both movies got it right. Last year, I was jittery when Bareilly Ki Barfi and Shubh Mangal Saavdhan clashed, but they were running to packed houses simultaneously. AndhaDhun has got critical acclaim and Badhaai Ho is looking bright, so fingers crossed,” he says.

Clash with Namaste England

Earlier this month, AndhaDhun clashed with LoveYatri and now, Badhaai Ho, too, will have a face-off with Namaste England at the marquee. But Ayushmann is not worried. “Namaste England is in a different genre. Also, the day and age we live in, solo releases are not possible. On Independence Day, there was a clash between Gold and Satyameva Jayate, but both did well. Hope that will happen this time, too,” he quips.

Keen on Kishore Kumar biopic 

Besides his performances, the Dum Laga Ke Haisha actor has also impressed audiences with his singing skills. He has lent his voice for tracks like Paani Da Rang (Vicky Donor), Nazm Nazm (Bareilly Ki Barfi) and singles such as Mitti Di Khushboo, Ik Vaari, etc. Not surprisingly, the actor wants to do a film that has him playing a singer-actor. “By default, I have been singing in every movie. I rendered two songs in AndhaDhun and one in Badhaai ho. But I would love to play a singer-actor. In fact, I want to do the Kishore Kumar biopic as I am a huge fan of his. In between, there were talks about filmmaker Anurag Basu making a movie on him, I think he should make it with me,” he smiles. Another genre he wants to try his hand at is action. “I have never undergone a physical transformation as my roles require a realistic body type. But I would love to do an action film and buff up,” signs off Ayushmann.