Ayushmann Khurrana Completes A Decade In Films, Says Bollywood Didn’t Know What To Do With Him

Actor Ayushmann Khurrana, Bollywood's most successful thematic risk-taker, debuted in the film industry a decade ago on April 20, 2022. Khurrana made his film debut ten years ago today with 'Vicky Donor,' in which he portrayed a sperm donor. Since then, he has made a point of playing a variety of roles, and many of them have been a box-office triumph.

These include portraying a man with erectile dysfunction in 'Shubh Mangal Savdhan' (2017), an alopecia sufferer in 'Bala' (2019), an out and proud gay man in 'Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan' (2020), and a macho gym instructor who discovers his fiancée used to be a man and has undergone gender reassignment surgery in 'Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui' (2021).

While these characters blatantly contradict typical Bollywood macho ideals, Khurrana's other role choices have also been out of the ordinary by industry norms. In 'Andhadhun,' he plays a piano player who may or may not be blind; in 'Article 15,' he plays a city slicker officer who discovers the brutal reality of the caste system in rural India; and in 'Dream Girl,' he plays a guy whose persuasive feminine voice people fall in love with (2019).

“The biggest challenge was after the first film because, frankly speaking, I don’t think Bollywood knew what to do with me,” Khurrana told Variety. “I was an unconventional actor who made an unconventional choice, which did pretty well. I was not getting great choices after my first film, because the first one was such a benchmark.”

The actor claims that after 'Vicky Donor,' he just wasn't receiving the appropriate scripts and had to settle with what was available. The "next few films didn't do well," he adds, and he gained a "lifeline" with 'Dum Laga Ke Haisha' (2015), in which he portrays a video cassette shop owner in the 1990s who must deal with the reality that his arranged marriage bride's weight is over his Bollywood heroine standards. Since then, Khurrana has been getting screenplays that he likes, with scriptwriters keeping an ear open and ready for the unusual.

“Scriptwriters used to play very safe back in the day, always knew that a hero wants to look like a hero – he doesn’t want to look imperfect. He wants to go with the popular belief,” said Khurrana. “I was the only one who was questioning the popular belief. And it worked well with the masses as well. So they became more brave with the writing and the concepts, and they challenged themselves also. They became slightly off center and probably triggered some quirks. It really helped and I’m glad they did that. I was really excited to do something, which is clutter-breaking and novel and gave me something fresh to say.”

Khurrana just completed a schedule in the United Kingdom for his next film, 'An Action Hero,' which was shot on the Isle of Wight, Hastings, and London. This is the first time Khurrana, whose films are primarily set in India's heartland, has filmed outside of the nation.

“It’s a genre-breaker for me – its the first time I’m doing an action film. I’m playing a superstar in the film who is an action hero and gets in a situation in real life and can’t fight. So that’s the dichotomy in the film. It’s ironic, and it’s crazy at the same time,” said Khurrana.

Khurrana's next films include the political thriller 'Anek' and the social drama 'Doctor G.'

“It’s a great journey, been very fruitful. I’m still evolving and learning,” said Khurrana. “I’m still a work in progress.”