Filmfare – July 15, 2019

TAHIR A

HERO

IS MY

AYUSHMANN KHURRANA,

THE SUPERSTAR OF THE COMMON MAN,

IS AS CONVERSANT WITH EVERYDAY

TRUTHS, WRITES RAGHUVENDRA SINGH

“Two roads diverged in a wood,
and I – I took the one less travelled
by... and that has made all the
difference.” – Robert Frost
This sums up the spin Ayushmann
Khurrana has given to his career. From
theatre to television to the big screen,
Ayushmann’s graph has been that of a
wanderer. But everyone who wanders
isn’t lost. Certainly not Ayushmann. On
the contrary, he’s been discovering new
signposts along the way. The ambitious
boy from Chandigarh learnt early in
his career that to make an impact in an
industry sold on glamour and dynasty,
he had to be different. He chose to do
films that pulled out truths tucked in the
closet and put them on the big screen.
Sperm donation, erectile dysfunction,
the embarrassment of having an obese
partner and the discomfort of accepting the
sexual intimacy of middle-aged parents,
Ayushmann’s characters confronted
unexpressed concerns, often silenced in
the obsession for social approval. His
goofiness found a connect with the common
man and middle-class India found its
next-door hero. With Anubhav Sinha’s
Article 15, he treads into serious territory.
Of the lawmakers and the lawbreakers...
in his inimitable earthy manner...

To remain

undefeated is the

inspiration I derived

from Tahira...

The way she dealt

with the situation

no one else could

have... I only saw

her smile when she

was undergoing

chemotherapy...

It’s not that she was

just putting up

a brave front, she

was genuinely

happy

From goofy and vulnerable

characters, you played a

tough cop in Article 15...

Your body language

turns confident

when you wear

uniform. You feel

a certain sense

of responsibility.

Even when I was

doing the look test

for Article 15, my

posture had changed.

After playing goofy

characters, here I’m

playing someone in

control. Whether it

was Vicky Donor,

AndhaDhun or

Badhaai Ho,

I was the victim

of circumstances.

Here I’m trying to

be the champion of

circumstances. That’s

the difference.

Your portrayal of a cop

is different from those

regularly played in Hindi

films...

My portrayal is

subtle and so is

the message of

the film. The film

tackles inequality,

discrimination,

cast... Anubhav

Sinha’s Mulk was

also subtle. He has

taken that legacy

forward with Article

15. While Mulk

dealt with Hindu-

Muslim issues, this

one is about conflict

With wife Tahira Kashyap