LATE CHECK OUT WITH Ayushmann Churrana

A film with a social message, a deeply inspiring couplet, a music tour that lets him explore his alter ego of sorts—what makes Ayushmann Khurrana the right fit in everything he chooses to do?

- SAMREEN TUNGEKAR

Mumbai's untimely rains have got nothing on actor Ayushmann Khurrana’s commitment to our cover shoot. On a busy weekday morning, we align at our shoot location to ensure we make the best of the actor’s extremely busy schedule, from which he has squeezed time out for our special anniversary issue. I remember the conversation in the room when we were brainstorming on who our 18th anniversary cover star should be, and the consensus was that it had to be someone relatable, who brings a certain sense of timeless appeal with his choices in stories, and who—adults and young adults alike—find reasons to look up to. Safe to say, we didn’t have to look further than Andheri West.

Two hours before the shoot begins, Khurrana arrives at the location and walks straight into hair and makeup. The actor’s days are currently lined up with a bit of everything—he is in narrations almost every day, reading scripts daily, and discussing music too. Amid all of this, he is doing fittings for his upcoming schedule, and a day after this shoot, he is going to Manali for the 10-day schedule of his new film with Sikhya Entertainment and Dharma.