THE STORY OF ONE MR. KAUSHAL

VICKY KAUSHAL IS ONE OF THE FINEST ACTORS ON SCREEN TODAY, WINNING BOTH CRITICAL AND MASS ACCLAIM. BUT, AS HE TELLS SHILPA DUBEY, HE LIKES TO ACT ONLY FOR THE CAMERA, PERIOD

- SHILPA DUBEY

Imagine yourself in your mid-20s, when life has just begun to revolve on multiple axles. You've only just started to understand the complexity of age, emotion and the business of life itself. To add to all that, your heart also happens to be broken at this particular time. Through a series of serendipitous events that you can't quite remember now, you end up watching Vicky Kaushal onscreen for the very first time. He's surrounded by burning pyres, holding his forehead and bawling like a child. "Saala ye dukh kaahe khatam nahi hota bey" (this pain doesn't seem to end), his bereaved character Deepak wails. This was in 2015. Vicky was only 27 years old. Yet his profound take on human vulnerability and grief, juxtaposed with a spark of hope, made the character of Deepak in Masaan unforgettable. As you carried Deepak home from the theatre, pain no longer seemed like a concept unique to you - a strangely comforting thought - and that self-awareness has never wavered since.

This award-winning portrayal is one of Vicky's personal favourites. "The other half of this coin of my personality would be Vicky Sandhu from Manmarziyaan (2018)," he says, post our cover shoot with him. "That character is like my alter ego. He is unabashed and reckless. Playing him was like an outlet through which I could live a life free of worries and consequences. All of it was very liberating," he adds.