RISK MASTER

Ayushmann Khurrana has made many unusual choices in his career. In his latest role, he explores the intricacies of a gay relationship.

- PRIYANKA BHADANI

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.