Ayushmann Khurrana is currently seen as Karam/Pooja in Raaj Shaandilyaa’s Dream Girl 2. The film, which also stars Ananya Panday, Paresh Rawal, Asrani, Rajpal Yadav, Seema Pahwa, Annu Kapoor, Vijay Raaz, Manjot Singh, and Abhishek Banerjee, hit the silver screens on August 25. The Free Press Journal caught up with the Bollywood star for an exclusive chat. Excerpts:
Do you agree that you are a torchbearer of breaking norms in the cinema through your diverse roles?
Honestly, I don’t know about that. My only endeavour was just to have different cinema and add value to the society in some way or the other or make it even better. I never tried to be a torchbearer or something like that. Dream Girl 2 has no social message, it is just laugh out loud comedy.
How did you feel about crossdressing?
Earlier, people have seen Kishore da, Govinda sir, Anil Kapoor sir, Chunky Panday sir, etc. doing the most commercial films. I just felt that I didn’t have to cross the line while dealing with such a character. With Dream Girl 2, we all wanted to make a clean entertainer.
What were your roadblocks?
As an actor, you should be immune or thick skinned and at the same time you should be excited about playing different roles and characters. I have to be honest and earnest in my performances.
Did you feel nervous or more responsible since the first film was successful?
Since the first part was a hit and had set the benchmark for the sequel, I am glad we made the second part. It was double the fun to shoot and double dose of laughter. Writer-director Raaj Shaandilyaa is crazily talented.
Since OTT has emerged as one of the prominent mediums of entertainment, do you feel subjects like Dream Girl 2 are a safe bet even for theatres?
OTT is a separate space where we can explore and experiment where makers can create vogue thoughts. Dream Girl 2 is basically targeting tier two or tier three cities as its a massy and slapstick film. We are not conveying any message through the film. It’s a very broad stroke Hindi cinema film. It’s an ode to the 1990s.
How was your experience promoting the film with gorgeous yesteryear’s actress Hema Malini?
More than nervous, I was excited. Her energy levels are like a 20-year-old girl. She still does travel the globe and does stage shows. She is very inspiring and beautiful.
How do you face your failures?
I have always said that failures are your lost friends. I do learn from them. They make you feel very different in your life and I feel it is important to see such curves in your life. I maintain sanity and gain different perspectives on life.
