Ayushmann Khurrana: The Future Of Bollywood

From his very first film, Ayushmann Khurrana has charted a course no Bollywood actor with leading man aspirations would dare to. Knocking it out of the park ever since, his sensitive and progressive film choices definitely make him one of the most important actors of our generation – and a fine role model.

- Arnesh Ghose

 I have a confession to make: I have not always been convinced about Ayushmann Khurrana. It has been a recurring bone of contention between my editor and I, and we find ourselves arguing over him and his performances quite often – until last year, when I acknowledged that I was officially bowled over by the man. Khurrana is one of the few leading men in the industry who is making it without hailing from a film family. He has struggled, and I think he had the most significant mainstream debut that

I can remember in a very long time. But after Vicky Donor, Khurrana’s magic seemed to have fizzled out. Although Nautanki Saala was a fine film, Khurrana didn’t seem to cast a spell, and the same can be said about Bewakoofiyaan and Hawaizaada. Khurrana was charming in those films, a natural performer with an alluring galli-da-launda vibe which is quite fetching when served in proper measure, but he was being handed weak stories that wanted to ride on his “common man formula” alone. It was Dum Laga Ke Haisha that saved him, and it seemed that he finally knew what his movie identity would be. In 2017, he delivered three sterling films - Meri Pyaari Bindu, Bareilly Ki Barfiand Shubh Mangal Savdhan, establishing himself as the mascot for slice of life, human interest and socially progressive cinema – with a generous helping of oddball humour.

Khurrana reminds me of Andy Samberg – they seem to share the qualities of natural performance, good looks and a penchant for uninhibited, goofy humour, but also those of being modern, sensitive and socially aware. More importantly, like Samberg, Khurrana seems to be unaffected by toxic alpha masculinity, a plague that riddles movie actors. For a movie star, he feels quite grounded, which is a somewhat unusual feeling. Even when I sit across him in his trailer, after our long photo shoot, it’s like catching up with a buddy at a café.