The Sweet Taste Of Success

BAREILLY KI BARFI AND SHUBH MANGAL SAAVDHAN HAVE FURTHER ENDORSED AYUSHMANN KHURRANA’S CREDENTIALS AS AN ACTOR

- Suman Sharma

 His quirky choices have paid rich dividends. The sweet small-town romance Bareilly Ki Barfi, directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, has done well at the box-office. Even Shubh Mangal Savdhaan directed by R S Prasanna was the talk of the town for its unique subject – erectile dysfunction. From playing a ‘sperm donor’ in Vicky Donor to a young man faced with performance anxiety in Shubh..., Ayushmann Khurrana sure knows how to be noticed in the clutter of films released week after week. That the audience is evolving offers scope for such films. Ayushmann says it’s a give and take between society and cinema. “The audience today is more receptive to unusual content. I’m glad to be part of this change. Yes, I am happy that Bareilly Ki Barfi did well,” he says adding, “I’m glad to be part of an era where people are accepting unconventional films, unconventional actors. If not, I wouldn’t have been here.” Given the off beat choices in his career graph, one can compare him to actor Amol Palekar, who was the toast of meaningful cinema through the ’70 and the- 80s. Tell him that and he beams at the compliment. “Amol Palekar’s films were ahead of their time. Mine too are slice-of-life movies. But my themes are slightly bolder. Also I’ve played characters that are not instantly likeable,” he elaborates. He goes on to explain that his character in Dum Laga Ke Haisha was not instantly likeable in the first half. In Bareilly Ki Barfi he played the victim and also the villain at the same time. He mentions he’s playing a dark character in Sriram Raghvan’s next.