Ayushmann Khurrana on Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui: ‘Cinema for social change is here to stay’-Entertainment News , Firstpost

It has been almost a decade that Ayushmann Khurrana stepped into Bollywood (with Shoojit Sircar’s Vicky Donor) and just like his new release Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui — a progressive love story, the champion of socially relevant ‘masala’ films continues to win hearts and surprise viewers with his unique content and riveting performance in the film after film. Never the one to succumb to stereotypes, the National award-winning actor plays a cross-functional athlete in Abhishek Kapoor’s groundbreaking transgender romance which he calls his riskiest film to date. In an exclusive chat with Firstpost, the actor talks about the challenges playing “full of himself” Manu Munjal, excitement about working with first-timers, his forthcoming genre-breaking roles in films Anek, Action Hero, and much more…

How would you react to the response that your new release Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui is getting? Since you have been doing socially relevant films for the last many years it is not surprising that you were chosen for this one…

I am used to doing message-driven films, I always wanted to do films that lead to certain value addition and it has happened with this one also, so it was a no-brainer for me to say ‘yes’ to Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui which is my riskiest film till date. Also, it comes from a director like Abhishek Kapoor who is very credible. This kind of subject needs to be handled by directors who are honest and trustworthy, so I was excited to do the film. I don’t know if we would have got this kind of response but yes, we are getting a lot of love. It is always difficult to position a film like this but it is very heart-warming. 

You underwent a tremendous physical transformation and bulked up for the first time to get this perfect physique for the role that must have been difficult…

Yes, the physical transformation was the biggest challenge for this film because I have a very high metabolism so I don’t put on muscles very easily. I also have a tendency to lose weight. I utilized the first lockdown to just build my body. I used to work out for three hours, rest for eight hours, sleep for eight hours, and eat right. There was nothing much to do at that time, so I utilized that time doing this. I also had to work on my gait, the way I stand…but I was really excited to take this character forward. 

What else went into prepping up for the character?

It was the language that I had to work upon. I had never walked like that in any of my films as my character Manu Munjal does. I was very nervous for Bala or very awkward for Dum Laga Ke Haisha but the kind of body language Manu has…he is full of confidence, full of oomph and he is full of himself (laughs) and that was the tricky point. I didn’t want to lose that feel of the character and that was the challenge.

Again, how difficult was it for you to play Manu Munjal who can’t accept his attraction for a trans woman and portray that ‘horror’ of falling in love with Maanvi?

You come across such people in your daily walks of life who are unaware, who have no idea about the trans world, who are not progressive and they have a certain mindset that is very difficult to change. But my answer to this is if Manu Munjal in the film can change then anybody can change, so Manu Munjal represents the masses, a common man on the streets who gets to know that his girlfriend was a guy earlier. How he changes his mindset gives us the confidence that anybody can change their mindset. It gives a ray of hope to our country.

Your co-star Vaani Kapoor, too, had a challenging role in Chandigarh Kare…, how was the interaction between the two of you on set?

Vaani is a very hardworking and diligent actor. I first watched her in Shuddh Desi Romance, she showed a lot of spunk in her first film and after that, she was part of some big successful films but those were not author-backed roles which she got in Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui. She was just waiting to explore which finally happened. I feel the one who is talented cannot be stopped … You always wait for the right role, right opportunity and I think this is a great mix in her career because she has given big films and now there is Chandigarh…and next up she has Shamshera with Ranbir Kapoor…she has got a good line-up of films.

Heard you are doing the action in some of your forthcoming films, is it a conscious decision for the fear of getting typecast?

Yes, for Action Hero I am learning martial arts. It is a very different experience for me because I am doing action for the first time. That is a genre breaker for me. Anek also has some action sequences but it is more of a political thriller. Both these films are off-genre. But after every three to four films, I do something different for instance Andhadhun, Article 15, and now Anek and then Action Hero and Doctor G will happen. I am always trying for a good mix but my aim is to go for a good script irrespective of genre.

You are one of the few actors who have been busy during the pandemic..you managed to complete three films in this period – Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui, Anek, and Doctor G…

It is always fun to be on set. I got very overwhelmed when I went on the sets of Chandigarh…because I was shooting after a year. It was a very emotional moment for me when the first shot was ready. We were the first ones to complete the entire film during the pandemic. Then I shot two more films – Doctor G and Anek and both have turned out pretty well. I am very fortunate that I got great directors and great scripts and we were shooting during the pandemic, we maintained all the protocol and nothing untoward happened on sets. 

Last year your Gulabo Sitabo was released on OTT and now you are back on the big screen. There has been a lot of discussion around big-screen versus OTT, end of the star system in the OTT era..what is your take on this?

Whenever I choose a script, I don’t think about the box office or the collections, I think about the subject and how it will connect to the people. It should be something unique and that is what I want to give to the audience. OTT is a big revolution and it has given a lot to the industry, a lot of employment, job opportunities, and thank god it is there because during the lockdown everybody was so nervous. But being an old-school cinema lover my love for the big screen is something else. It is so beautiful to have that community viewing.

Star system is very important for the industry to survive. The project is made around a star. People also go to the theatres mostly because of that. It is very important for the industry especially for cinema, of course, OTT is completely content-driven but when it comes to the cinema you need those stars to flourish.

Most of your films have been with first-time directors except for Abhishek Kapoor, Anubhav Sinha, and Sriram Raghavan…

I love working with first-time directors because they are more experimental, more amenable, and at the same time more collaborative, it is beautiful working with them. Anubhuti Kashyap who has directed Doctor G is a first-time director; Anirudh Iyer who is directing Action Hero is a first-time director. Raaj Shandilya (Dream Girl), Akshay Roy (Meri Pyaari Bindu), Sharat Katariya (Dum Laga Ke Haisha), Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari was almost like a first time director during Bareilly Ki Barfi…then R S Prasanna (Bollywood debut Shubh Mangal Savdhan)…were all first-time directors…  

There has been a lot of discussion around the unconventional ‘taboo’ subject Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui being addressed in the mainstream space. What is your take on it?

I think there was no other way to do it. If the film was not commercial and if it was positioned like a festival film, it would be watched by people who are intellectuals and who are already sensitized towards the community then what is the change happening? We can only bring about change by taking the film to those people like Manu Munjals of the world who have no idea of the trans world. If the film doesn’t reach those people then there is no use for your film.

Is the struggle to choose off-beat, unconventional subjects still on?

Selecting a good script is the biggest struggle more than the execution, shooting, or marketing of the film. It is the choice that is most difficult because I go through hundreds of scripts and out of those I choose probably one which I feel should be made. All this requires a lot of reading, a lot of narration and that is the biggest struggle. You need to keep your eyes and ears open to everyone. Since I work with many first-time directors I believe that a good script will come not just from an experienced writer or big production house but it can come from anywhere. For that, you have an ocean of scripts in front of you and it is so difficult to choose scripts because you have invited everyone to tell you the story, so it is a bigger challenge. But I would love to do progressive stories and add some value to cinema and society. Cinema for social change is here to stay.

You have often said that fodder, the plotline for films, comes from a common man. But now is it possible for you to interact with a common man? How often can you do that?

I take out time, it can’t happen in Mumbai but when I go out for shoots, different locations, I talk to the drivers about their family, then I interact with people in production…I make friends with them, I chat with them, know what they are going through, troubles in their life, about their personal life… It is very important for me to stay connected with people because this is what I aspire to do on celluloid. If I lose that connect then how will I give films that resonate with the masses?

Has pandemics changed anything in you, in your life?

I have introspected a lot. We have started getting used to staying in isolation which is scary. People are not venturing out much and the new normal has set in. Also, the world has consumed a lot of international cinema and great content from across the world so the audience has become more mature, expectations are rising, so even we have to up our game because we have to match the international standards more than our own benchmarks.

Seema Sinha is a Mumbai-based mainstream entertainment journalist who has been covering Bollywood and television industry for over two decades. Her forte is candid tell-all interviews, news reporting and newsbreaks, investigative journalism and more. She believes in dismissing what is gossipy, casual, frivolous and fluff.