I don't consume alcohol or colas. But I don't judge people who do. People make their own decisions.
Ayushmann Khurrana
Success is a lousy teacher, but failure is a friend, philosopher, and guide.
Life is the biggest workshop: you have to observe life. You have to be one with the milieu more than anything else.
I am the public, a boy from Chandigarh who's bought tickets in black and revered films since childhood, and when I choose scripts, I take out the garb of an actor-slash-star, and I consume the script as a layman.
I've always believed that getting respect as an artiste is of utmost importance.
I am someone without an ego.
I wanted to work with Sriram Raghavan, the master of noir.
I have certain viewpoints that come out in certain shayaris.
If I were a star kid, I wouldn't have tried so many things. I would have done theatre and directly joined movies. I did radio and TV shows because I had to carve my own way. Outsiders like me have to reach Bollywood through modelling, theatre, or radio.
If you are changing yourself with every film, you will be exhausted as an actor.
Lots of people expect 'Andhadhun' to be a dark film, given it's from Sriram Raghavan. But this film is fun, entertaining, thrilling, and while it has moments of darkness, overall it's not a dark film.
I started pretty young: I did my first reality show when I was 17. Then came 'Roadies' in 2004, when I was 19.
I look for scripts that give me a gut feeling that this is going to work.
Nobody tells you that they don't believe in you. I had tremendous self-belief and faith in my sensibilities.
I always thought millennials are going westward, and they probably won't understand vernacular poetry.
A good script can come from anywhere.
It happens in the West most of the time - the biggest of stars, they audition. That's how it should happen.
As an actor, I have always believed that content is the kin,g and I have always put my neck on the line to choose cinema that is off the beaten track.
I think a film is made with each and every cast member. If the casting is strong, half our job is done. Then, even the mundane line is delivered in a great fashion.
Writers have always been very underrated.
I want to evolve with my performances. Consistency is really important. Having said that, I generally don't try too hard.
Your family can keep you grounded, make you keep things real.
If a film is entertaining, it will work irrespective of anything. It should be entertaining and engaging; otherwise, it becomes a documentary.
To begin with, I always want to go for scripts that do not have a reference in Hindi cinema. If it is novel and unique, it definitely has a better shelf value.
Being a young parent, you can play cricket, football, and I can play chess with my son. In fact, he plays the piano better than I do.
It is good to be a young father, a young parent. You have that energy, and you are growing up with them.
I think everyone is a hero in their own right.
All you need to focus on is your craft and how you act; and, of course, script selection, which is a primary reason for anybody's success because, in today's day and age, everyone is talented irrespective of fields.
I want to do more new-age content, look beyond conventional cinema.
I think cricket and cinema are two big entities in the country. If you are part of either, you are sorted.
I had an edge in 'Andhadhun' because, being a musician, I knew how to play a guitar, so it was not difficult for me to learn a musical instrument.
My son had seen 'Dum Laga Ke Haisha,' but he wasn't happy about it because my father bullies me in the film.
To be successful in Bollywood, you either need to be a superstar or have a super script.
In theatre, you learn the story is more important than the actor.
What is a commercial film? I think every film is commercial, as every film makes money.
The primary goal is to entertain people because... Fortunately, the kind of movies I have been doing have a certain message, they break taboos, and they are socially relevant. So it's a great mix of content and entertainment.
I would love to write a script, for sure. I write poetry and songs. But writing a script needs a lot of time and discipline.
I learnt so much from all my films, successful or unsuccessful.
I know I have become a star, but I don't want to believe it.
Not many know that I had done a fiction show called 'Kayaamat' for exactly one month. I also did 'Ek Thi Rajkumari,' though I don't think anyone watched the show. That was the plan - I wanted to be on TV, but in such a way that no one watched me.
I always aspired to do something different.
My gut has never let me down.
I couldn't be a conventional commercial actor without being a star-kid. That kind of a big film needs a certain mounting, a little paraphernalia around you. And nobody would give me that.
I was very nervous as a child and had stage fright.
I was very immature when I married.
I approach every film as my first film.
It's good to be an outsider.
For me, novelty matters; uniqueness matters.
You have to have a macro outlook, see the film in totality, whether it will resonate with people or not.
I have done a lot of street theatre and plays and interacted with the public through radio and television.
