I WAS BORDERLINE HOMOPHOBIC

FOR AYUSHMANN KHURRANA, IT’S IMPERATIVE TO STAND OUT THAN FIT IN. TREADING INTO TABOO TERRITORY, HE’S HIT UPON A CLOSET OF ISSUES STRUGGLING TO BE ADDRESSED, WRITES ANURADHA CHOUDHARY

- ANURADHA CHOUDHARY

Have you ever noticed the demeanour of a man doing well in life. There’s a blithe spirit about him, a spring in his walk, he never stops smiling, he’s magnanimous in his success. Ayushmann Khurrana is all this and more. There’s a self-assuredness that comes with confidence in his choices. He seems almost invincible in person and at the box-office office. Seven back to back hits is no mean feat. For Ayushmann it’s a dream come true. As a rookie actor, he often wondered if he would ever reach the shivery heights of stardom. Today he stands vindicated. To say that he has changed the face of Hindi cinema wouldn’t be an overstatement. Ayushmann is the antithesis of the larger-than-life Bollywood hero. Not for him the chest thumping, swinging from trees or beating up 30 goons single-handedly. His characters are everyman dealing with everyday problems like sperm donation, sexual dysfunction, baldness... his latest Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan talks about homosexuality.... so much that larger-than-life heroes seem a tad outdated today. That he has the knack of choosing the right script is a given. That he has made taboo topics part of living room conversation is a fact. He believes that there are too many issues in our country. So there’s no question of running out of topics. Right now, Ayushmann Khurrana is the darling of filmmakers and masses alike. He’s making them both happy... Call it the Midas Touch or astute decision making, Ayushmann is walking on velvet... Excerpts from an enthralling interview...

SEVEN HITS BACK-TO-BACK. WHAT WOULD YOU ATTRIBUTE THIS CRAZY SUCCESS TO?