The Josh Machine

With the success of Uri, Vicky Kaushal has firmly established what his early-days colleagues already knew about him—that he’s star material

- KUNAL PURANDARE

Vicky Kaushal was glued to the television (TV) screen at Dharma Productions’ office in Andheri when the National Awards were being announced in August. A couple of wins for his 2019 blockbuster Uri: The Surgical Strike had thrilled him to no end, resulting in the actor face-timing with the film’s director Aditya Dhar, who was in the US then, and them yelling like schoolkids. The crowning glory came moments later when Kaushal won ‘Best Actor’ and Dhar ‘Best Director’. “We wanted that moment to pause and live that moment,” says the actor, who called Ayushmann Khurrana—with whom he shared the award—and his parents immediately after.

While time did not come to a standstill, Kaushal got a chance to reflect on his career’s biggest high to date under unusual circumstances. At the Dharma Productions office for a look test for Takht, scheduled for a 2020 release, the actor had a mask put on his face for 45 minutes during which he could neither open his eyes or mouth nor hear anything. He had to sit still. “I wanted to jump and celebrate, but God had other plans. It was the best plan because it made me introspect and consume the euphoria. I was a more relaxed person after that. It was a beautiful feeling. I was a happy kid,” says the 31-year-old Mumbai lad and engineering graduate who preferred facing the camera instead of opting for a monotonous job.

In only his fifth year in the industry, Kaushal has emerged as one of the most promising actors of his generation. In 2018, he had a golden run at the box office with the commercial success of Raazi and Sanju. These were followed by