He starred in two of last year’s biggest films, Andhadhun and Badhaai Ho – the latter eclipsing Baahubali 2 at the box office, a cultural phenomenon in its own right. And Ayushmann Khurrana’s star is only likely to continue rising, with two offbeat projects, Dream Girl and Bala, in the works. GQ caught up with the man of the moment, who reveals why he chose acting over singing, and why he believes solitude is vital to nurturing a rich inner life
Ayushmann Khurrana’s father is a well-known astrologer, but even he couldn’t have predicted the extent of his son’s recent success. When I meet him at St Andrews Turf Park on a muggy evening in Mumbai, he hasn’t slept much: The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of shooting for Dream Girl in Agra and Mathura. I ask about his favourite scriptwriters, and he name checks Shakun Batra (Kapoor & Sons), Juhi Chaturvedi (Vicky Donor, Piku) and Sharat Katariya (Dum Laga Ke Haisha), but is equally quick to remind me that a good idea can come from anywhere. “Juhi was not Juhi before Vicky Donor, Sharat was not Sharat before Dum Laga Ke Haisha; Shantanu [Srivastava] or Akshat [Ghildial] weren’t that big before Badhaai Ho… So you just need to keep your eyes and ears open for fresh talent.” It’s a principle he’s stood by: The only A-list film-maker Khurrana’s worked with is Sriram Raghavan, who already had several hit films under his belt before he directed him as a blind pianist in Andhadhun. Everyone else, including his co-stars Yami Gautam and Bhumi Pednekar, were untested talent.
Khurrana is also a creative polymath, a singer and a poet whose couplets have been earning the actor thousands of likes and retweets on Twitter. He’s an unabashed fan of Coke Studio Pakistan, and happy to share his newest musical discoveries: “Nescafé Basement is edgier than Coke Studio. Of the current lot, Ali Sethi is very good. His version of “Ranjish Hi Sahi” is almost as good as the original, which is amazing because he’s very young. He’s a purist who knows his craft.” As is Khurrana, who has a playlist in his head for the most important people in his life (including himself).
What are your earliest memories of music?
Bu hikaye GQ India dergisinin January 2019 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye GQ India dergisinin January 2019 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
How to Dress for a Concert in Your Thirties
GQ World Humour
MARNI'S FRANCESCO Risso WILL NEVER GROW UP
The eccentric Italian designer is proving that the very serious business of fashion doesn't have to be very serious at all.
WELCOME TO LAUREN HALSEY'S NEIGHBORHOOD
The red-hot 36-year-old artist has achieved global success with a very local approach: applying imaginative, laser-like focus to a few square blocks of her hometown. In doing so, she renders and reflects what it's actually like to live and work in-and never, ever leave-South Central Los Angeles.
MEET THE WILDEST CHARACTER IN THE WORLD'S MOST INFLUENTIAL MUSIC SCENE
Right now, to be the most important new voice in Afrobeats means you might just be the most important new voice in global music, period. That title currently belongs to Asake, a Nigerian singer with bonkers style and a penchant for making speaker-melting hits.
BACK TO THE FUTURE
Goa's buzziest restaurants Praça Prazeres and Larder + Folk traverse the European continent for inspiration.
LEWIS HAMILTON IS CHANGING LANES
The seven-time F1 champ says he still has a world title in him-maybe this year, his final one at Mercedes; maybe next year when he joins Ferrari, a shocking move he tells us he manifested. But it's his passionate work outside of racing-in fashion, in film, in music-that's setting him up to keep making moves after the chequered flag drops on his racing career.
Summer of Sobhita
From Vizag to LA, Sobhita Dhulipala is having a golden run.
THE GQ35 MOST INFLUENTIAL YOUNG INDIANS
It's been 10 heady years since this list was first launched. And this year's edition celebrates India's youth power like never before. These individuals are leaders of powerful tribes, and personalities bearing influence over millions across the globe. They are pioneering business models, defining culture, and disrupting the status quo. They are driving innovation, pushing boundaries, and effecting change. Welcome to the future, today.
The Life-Changing Magic of Asking Kind Strangers to Rate Your Looks Online
On Reddit, a community dedicated to advice on one's appearance has given some men some unexpected confidence-and its moderators are trying to maintain one of the internet's few troll-free places.
Syncretic Jewels
An exhibition by Cartier at the Louvre, Abu Dhabi, highlighted the influence of Islamic art and Indian gems on the French maison's haute joaillerie over the years through more than 400 works from the museum's collection as well as those of partner museums, the Cartier archives, and private collectors.