Ayushmann Khurrana: I never take my characters back home

Ayushmann Khurrana is not a method actor, and does not like to take his characters back home. The actor says he likes to explore new things without putting undue pressure on himself.

Ayushmann embarked on his Bollywood journey with offbeat roles, going on to become a poster boy of unconventional films and Bollywood’s most unconventional hit machine.

When the actor entered Hindi films with Shoojit Sircar’s “Vicky Donor” in 2012, he instantly won hearts with his charm and witty screen presence. He has been part of stories about flaws and imperfections and has delivered back-to-back hits while showing off his versatility as an actor.

Asked if his characters stay with him after work, Ayushmann said he can “switch on and switch off” with ease.

“I am not a method actor. I switch on and switch off very easily. So, I never take my characters back home,” Ayushmann told IANS.

“To evolve more as a person, I need to just move on and explore new things and learn new things. Of course, there are certain films like ‘Article 15’ or ‘AndhaDhun’. For ‘AndhaDhun’, I started taking piano lessons, so that was an evolution for me. For ‘Article 15’, I got aware about the caste system in India. So that was again, a kind of learning for me. In ‘Gulabo Sitabo’, more than the character, it was the learning experience with Mr. Amitabh Bachchan and Shoojit Sircar,” he added.

He might be touted as Bollywood’s hit machine, but he refrains from taking pressures from the expectations.

“The pressure is always there, but at the same time I enjoy whatever I’m a part of. I really enjoy the process and I don’t put undue pressure on myself. I don’t have to change myself with every film. As I’ve said earlier, I can wait for the right script for that,” said the actor, who started his journey on the small screen.

“The only pressure is churning out great content,” he added.

Ayushmann was recently seen in the Amitabh Bachchan co-starrer “Gulabo Sitabo”. The Shoojit Sircar directorial, which was scheduled to get a theatrical release, premiered on Amazon Prime Video in June as cinema halls remain shut amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“The biggest challenge was to face the legend (Amitabh Bachchan). It was a very internal challenge, apart from that the external challenges was the heat,” said the actor while looking back at the making of the film.