I cannot figure out
#AyushmannKhurrana. He’s among Bollywood’s top-drawer actors. And he’s had a terrific run at the box office. But somehow, I don’t find him hero material. And I wonder if he can be called a superstar. I think he’s just a damn good actor. Which is what Ayushmann told me he wants to be. He picks roles that are, well, unusual. And in films whose subjects are outrageous or taboo.
Like his gay character in yesterday’s release
#ShubhMangalZyadaSaavdhan. Or the guy suffering male pattern baldness in
#Bala before that. And the transgender in
#DreamGirl. Not to forget the romantic erectile dysfunctional loser in
#ShubhMangalSaavdhan. And his debut role, that of a sperm donor, in
#VickyDonor way back in 2012. I wanted to know whether Ayushmann was picking up films that no other actor dared to do and was getting lucky with them. Or whether scripts with bizarre but relatable themes were written with him in mind and he worked hard on them.
I met Ayushmann and his co-star
#JitendraKumar, the digital entertainment star of
#TheViralFever on YouTube, to talk about
#ShubhMangalZyadaSaavdhan. I won’t see the film. But in 2.41 minutes its trailer did more for same-sex marriages than what gay activists have ever been able to manage in India. “We’re on the front foot with this film,” Ayushmann said. “It’s the need of the hour. We have brought forth this subject (they are gays wanting to marry and even share a kiss on screen) with humour and entertainment and which has a message for the whole family to understand and enjoy.”
I sincerely hope Indian audiences are accepting of this kind of humor because
#ShubhMangalZyadaSaavdhan is certainly not
#BrokebackMountain. That was Hollywood’s stepping stone into the mainstream for queer cinema. Bollywood still has to go the romantic-comedy route. And Ayushmann, who is liked and has many friends in the industry, was discouraged from accepting this role by several senior actors who feared it would impact his ascending career.
“They said
#ShubhMangalZyadaSaavdhan was risky and I could not be playing a gay,” Ayushmann revealed. He told them, “Maybe it is risky but my whole career has been a risk and so will this film be. Hopefully, the industry and audience will start respecting me.” He said his eyes and ears are always open for subjects like this. “I am receptive to people from all walks of life. A good story can come from anybody. I get them and I seek them.”
I didn’t tell Ayushmann that I had seen just two of the 15 films he had made in eight years.
#VickyDonor in 2012 because its producer was my friend John Abraham. And
#Article15 last year because it was a crime drama in which he played a cop and that genre of cinema I particularly like. But I will see his next. Which is
#GulaboSitabo. Slated to release this April. It’s got
#AmitabhBachchan co-starring with Ayushmann and his films I never miss. Plus it’s directed by the versatile
#ShoojitSircar who earlier made
#Pink and
#Piku with Mr. Bachchan. Not that Ayushmann plays a regular character in this film. Gulabo and Sitabo are papier-mâché puppets popular in Uttar Pradesh. Their skits have humor and songs and depict the day-to-day struggles of the common man. It should be funny.
Catch the interview on Tata Sky Show Bizz Channel #311
About Mark Manuel
The above thoughts/content has been proudly copied from the wall of Sir Mark Manuel. Being interviewing almost every role model of this country and going stronger each day. Mark Manuel is a respected Mumbai editor, writer, and columnist.
With over three decades of journalism in leading publications. This includes the Free Press Journal, Times, Dainik Bhaskar, Mid-Day, and Afternoon. He is famous for his brilliant pen interviews. He himself is a TEDx speaker.
Further
His interviews have been featured in several leading media houses. They include the Hindustan Times, Huffington Post, BBC, and Network 18. Almost every famous person has been interviewed by him in the country from Mother Teresa to Muhammad Ali. His first book is just out. It’s titled Moryaa Re! It is a crime thriller that is perhaps the country’s first police procedural. He began his career covering crime. And in a tribute to his experience and knowledge of this beat.
Several distinguished officers of the Mumbai Police and its Crime Branch collaborated with him to make this book possible. Amitabh Bachchan wrote the forward in a statement of friendship for Mark Manuel and admiration for his work.
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