true.I hadthis
feelingthatI’dwin
it forAndhaDhun.
That’swhyI
broughtmyfather
(P.Khurrana)along.
It wasmydad’s
dreamalso,notjust
mine.So,seeing
himhappymade
mehappy.WhenweYourbody
language turns
confident when you
wear a uniform. You
feel a certain sense
of responsibility.
After playing goofy
characters, in Article
15 , I’m playing
someone in control.
In Vicky Donor,
AndhaDhun and
Badhaai Ho, I was
the victim. Here,
I’m trying to be
the champion2012, I got the Best
Male Debut and Best
Playback for Pani
da – both for Vicky
Donor.How close are you to
your father?
I’m close to both my
parents. My father
is an astrologer.the industry. People
take you seriously;
you feel empowered
as an artiste. Your
opinion begins to
matter.Does that come with the
pressure of matching up to
your last success?
Even if there’s
pressure, I view it as
a happy expectation.
People expect
something out of me.
You take on a project
relying on your gut
feeling. It depends
on the audience how
they reciprocate. I
can only promise
that my films will be
different. They will
have a message and
be entertaining at the
same time.With experimental actors
like Vicky Kaushal and
Kartik Aaryan coming in,
will the competition get
stiffer?
I guess, it will only
increase. Now
content is most
important, way
beyond actors or
stars. There will
be newcomers and
better films coming
in. The idea is to
be just consistent
and play your own
game. Follow your
intuition, own
your space. I’ve
done films, which
most wouldn’t dare
to do. So many
actors had said no
to AndhaDhun. I
guess, no leading
actor would have
agreed to play
second fiddle to
the parents in
Badhaai Ho. But
what matters is thatI’ve a beautiful film
in my filmography.What did you learn from
your wife, Tahira during her
fight with cancer?
To remain
undefeated is the
inspiration I derived
from her. We both
are similar in a
way. I’ve been
through a low phase
in my professional
life too. We
maintain calm and
composure through
tough times be it
physical, personal or
professional.Is she your hero?
Of course. She’s my
hero. She inspires
me the most. The
way she dealt with
the situation, no
one else could
have. It’s easy to be
broken in certain
circumstances.
But she refused to
be. I only saw her
smile when she
was undergoing
chemotherapy.
The operation was
painful. But she was
brave. It’s not that
she was putting up a
brave front, she was
genuinely happy.Are you glad she’s
turning a feature film
director after directing the
short film Toffee?
Yes. I hope it
happens soon.
She’s been doing pre-
production for some
time. She should
do it independently
(Toffee was produced
by Ayushmann).
We will probably
collaborate some
day. were travelling back
home, he was numb
with emotion. Being
honoured with the
Critics’ Award for
AndhaDhun, which
was a commercial
success, was special
because it’s a revered
category.
It’s heartening that
content is winning
praise. It was a
personal victory
for me. I came
with this dream to
Mumbai that I’d win
a Filmfare Award
some day. Today, I
have three. Earlier, inHe’s the best and
the worst critic of
my performances.
He taught me to
grasp the audience’s
pulse right from
childhood. When as
a kid, I was asked to
dance at parties, dad
would say if a few
are insisting it’s not
necessary to perform
but if many are then
go ahead. Public kya
chaahti hai... that
has been my focus
even today.How did being a 100-crore
actor change the
perception around you?
First and foremost
you get respect from
the trade. You also
receive love from the
masses. With Vicky
Donor and Dum
Laga Ke Haisha, I
was adored for my
performances. But
now the reach has
become bigger and so
has the respect fromAndhaDhunArticle 15