The Charming Mr. Khurrana

Ayushmann Khurrana Is the Guy You Would Take Home to Your Mom (but You Can’t — He’s Married). His Films Appeal to Indian Audiences Across Social Denominators, and the Music in Them Is Comfortable and Romantic, With a Touch of the 1990s. Does Khurrana Lovingly Remind India of Its Favourite Decade?
 

- Arnesh Ghose

Let’s be honest about something: we might act all progressive and cool, talk like millennials, discuss Berlin and Cannes, Oscars and indie, but in our hearts, we are still unabashedly nostalgic about the ‘90s — a few drinks down and we happily move from Shape of You to Dhak Dhak Karne Laga. The Nineties kids are still hung up on QSQT, DDLJ, JJWS and KHKN, films that defined their puberty and introduced them to “romance”. Pehla Nasha and Tujhe Dekha Toh Yeh Jaana Sanam remain the country’s quintessential love ballads even today, and that’s saying something, because these songs are over 25 years old.

Look at our mainstream cinema today. We are back to remixing songs, bringing back kitschy plotlines and good ol’ north Indian ‘90s masala. What the Nineties best did was cash in on India’s middle-class, and their aspirations and ambitions. This, paired with the likes of Kumar Sanu, Abhijeet and Udit Narayan belting out sing-along tunes, resulted in a product that was both relatable and enjoyable for the vast majority. And if you look back on it, our heroes did not look like heroes in the Nineties. Other than Salman Khan, everyone looked like regular people — and that is what Ayushmann Khurrana has brought back.