As we talk about his uncommon lead roles, actor Ayushmann Khurrana smiles. “This is a genre that was created with Vicky Donor [his debut film, in 2012, in which he played a sperm donor]. It is like asking Tiger Shroff to quit action [films],” he says.
Three of his last four films saw him taking up characters that the typical Bollywood hero would prefer not to attempt: Badhaai Ho (2018) saw him as a young man struggling to come to terms with his mother’s late pregnancy; in Dream Girl (2019), he is someone who mimics a female voice and lands in trouble; in Bala (2019), he deals with premature balding. Article 15 (2019), in which he played a tough cop, was an exception. Now, in his latest film, Subh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan—that will be released on February 21—he plays a gay character along with Jitendra Kumar.
Bringing LGBTQI characters into mainstream Hindi films has always been difficult. The characters are often stereotyped, or the films tackling the subject are too serious. And, most mainstream actors shy away from gay roles. However, Khurrana “was actively looking for a script based on homosexuality”. He recalls how during the shooting of Dream Girl—a film based in Mathura—he saw two boys kissing in a parking lot. That was the moment he thought, “We are ready for this film [SMZS]”.
Directed by Hitesh Kevalya (writer of Shubh Mangal Saavdhan [2017], in which Khurrana played the role of a man with erectile dysfunction), the film’s trailer has been lauded by many for its boldness. Besides breaking stereotypes, the trailer features a kissing scene between the two lead characters.
Esta historia es de la edición February 23, 2020 de THE WEEK.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición February 23, 2020 de THE WEEK.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Trump And The Crisis Of Liberalism
Although Donald Trump's election to a non-consecutive second term to the US presidency is not unprecedented—Grover Cleveland had done it in 1893—it is nevertheless a watershed moment.
What Will It Take To Clean Up Delhi Air?
IT IS ASKED, year after year, why Delhi’s air remains unbreathable despite several interventions to reduce pollution.
Men eye the woman's purse
A couple of months ago, I chanced upon a young 20-something man at my gym walking out with a women’s sling bag.
When trees hold hands
A filmmaker explores the human-nature connect through the living root bridges
Ms Gee & Gen Z
The vibrant Anuja Chauhan and her daughter Nayantara on the generational gap in romance writing
Vikram Seth-a suitable man
Our golden boy of literature was the star attraction at the recent Shillong Literary Festival in mysterious Meghalaya.
Superman bites the dust
When my granddaughter Kim was about three, I often took her to play in a nearby park.
OLD MAN AND THE SEA
Meet G. Govinda Menon, the 102-year-old engineer who had a key role in surveying the Vizhinjam coast in the 1940s, assessing its potential for an international port
Managing volatility: smarter equity choices in uncertain markets
THE INDIAN STOCK MARKET has delivered a strong 11 per cent CAGR over the past decade, with positive returns for eight straight years.
Investing in actively managed low-volatility portfolios keeps risks at bay
AFTER A ROARING bull market over the past year, equity markets in the recent months have gone into a correction mode as FIIs go on a selling spree. Volatility has risen and investment returns are hurt.
