This Bollywood outsider sang at weddings, in trains, was rejected from TV shows; now gives Rs 100-crore blockbusters

Ayushmann Khurrana was born as Nishant Khurrana on September 14, 1984, in Chandigarh to Poonam and P. Khurrana. His name was changed to Ayushmann at age 3. He attended Guru Nanak Khalsa College, St. John's High School, and DAV College in Chandigarh, where he majored in English literature.

He also earned a master's degree in Mass Communication from the School of Communication Studies at Panjab University. Ayushmann spent five years in theatre and participated in plays at Gaiety Theatre in Shimla during his college days.

To make money, he sang on trains. He once revealed, "During my college days, there was a train named Pashchim Express that used to go from Delhi to Mumbai. So I, along with my friends, used to get onto the train and we used to go to every coach to sing and perform. Passengers used to give us money which we used to collect. We used to earn so much that we managed to sponsor our Goa trip from it! So yes, you can say I am a train singer." 

Ayushmann Khurrana's journey into the entertainment industry began with auditions for reality shows like Indian Idol and Zee Cinestars Ki Khoj Season 1. Although he faced rejection initially, his breakthrough came when he won the television show Roadies, which highlighted his talents and brought him into the spotlight.

Ayushmann Khurrana once revealed that Karan Johar initially refused to work with him, saying they only collaborated with established stars. Despite this early setback, Ayushmann has since made remarkable progress in his career and now reportedly charges Rs 10 crore per film.

Dream Girl 2 became Ayushmann Khurrana’s fifth film to join the Rs 100 crore club. The previous films to achieve this milestone were Andhadhun (Rs 456.89 crore in 2018), Badhaai Ho (Rs 221.44 crore in 2018), Dream Girl (Rs 200.80 crore in 2019), and Bala (Rs 171.49 crore in 2019).