MY WIFE IS MY FIRST AND LAST GIRLFRIEND
Ayushmann
Khurrana, 28, may not be the conventional good-looking star, but he has
come a long way from being the skinny, short boy with braces from
Chandigarh. His role in Vicky Donor made him a youth icon for both, his
acting and singing. He is more content than ambitious and is beginning
to adjust to his new 24x7 schedule. Post the release of his latest film
Nautanki Saala, he speaks to Bombay Times about the predictions of his
astrologer father, his girlfriend-turned wife Tahira and why he believes
his looks will improve with age. Excerpts:
Let’s talk about your childhood? I
was born and brought up in Chandigarh. My dad is a well-known
astrologer there and my mom had done an MA in Hindi, so I had an
inclination towards Hindi. I studied in an all-boys school, St John’s
Boys School, where I did English theatre. We were in a Catholic school
and can you imagine we were Sikhs and Punjabis singing carols in school!
My dad, P Khurana is an astrologer. He changed the spelling of my name
when I was in class VI. That’s where the double ‘n’ and ‘r’ in my name
come from. I again went to an all-boys college at Punjab University,
where I studied English Literature and Journalism. In my first year of
college, I found a theatre group with my seniors and started doing Hindi
theatre. Right from the age of five, I have wanted to become an actor
even though I was extremely shy initially. My dad always pushed me to be
on stage. I am a laidback person and have always been more content than
ambitious. I was planning to take a sabbatical after my journalism
course to learn how to fight and dance and build my body, so that I
could come to Mumbai to become an actor. I was not in a hurry to do
anything. But my dad told me, ‘You have to go right now otherwise you
will be unemployed for two years.’ My bags were packed and I was thrown
out of my place. Normally, people run away from home to become an actor.
For me, it was the other way round where my tickets were bought and I
was asked to go. While I have never believed in astrology, I have always believed in my dad and I came to Mumbai.
How did you get into films? I
came to Mumbai and started giving auditions. I had no place to stay so I
stayed with my friend from Chandigarh in his hostel at KEM hospital as
he was studying MBBS. In my final year at college I had won the MTV
Roadies Season 2 and was popular amongst the college crowd. I was
auditioned for TV serials, but got selected by a radio station in Delhi
as an RJ. The next thing I knew I was in MICA training to become an RJ
and was the first RJ to be put up on a hoarding in Delhi. I was content
as I bought a car and a house. But again, my dad called and said, ‘Beta
you cannot do this, go to Mumbai
to become an actor.’ I said okay and left everything to again come back
to Mumbai. They were auditioning for VJs this time. I got selected and
became a VJ for four years. That’s when Shoojit Sircar noticed me. He
was looking for a Punjabi person with a youth connect and I did Vicky
Donor.
Did you expect so much appreciation for Vicky Donor? Actually,
I don’t expect anything from life also. Life gives me surprises. Even
with my dad while I don’t believe in astrology, I believe in him. His
predictions for me have been bang on as far as predicting timing for my
opportunities are concerned and him telling me what to do when.
How did you meet your wife Tahira Kashyap? We
were family friends and I met her at 16. She is my first and last
girlfriend and I told her the first day we met that I would marry her.
We have been married four years now and have a one-year-old son. While
she normally travels with me, she is doing her Ph.D, so she goes to
Chandigarh to take her exams. We were together in tuitions and she was
the prettiest girl there, whereas I used to come on my small Kinetic
Honda with braces on. She used to come in a car and was the most popular
girl, while I was just another guy. It’s surreal as I am getting all
the attention suddenly now. The only thing that stresses her a lot is
that we don’t have enough time for each other. When I was on TV, I would
work only 10 days a month and was really laid-back. Working 24 x 7
doesn’t come naturally to me. My wife keeps me grounded always. If my
dad gives me ambition and my mom, patience, my wife makes me stable. She
is the first one to tell me you can never be an actor as I never looked
like one. In fact, she was the first one I confessed to that I want to
be an actor. She had laughed. I used to get so nervous in front of her.
Even now, if I am performing on stage, she is not there with me as I get
conscious. But if I am in the audience receiving an award, she is with
me.
How is Shoojit Sircar to work with? Ever since my servant committed suicide, my wife and I are staying at Shoojit’s home. My servant was with me from
Chandigarh and we were attached a lot to him. It was depressing
returning back to our house, so we moved in with Shoojit for some time. I
am lucky to be associated with him as he is so earthy and real. He is
shy and is happy sitting at home watching his actors win awards as
against being present at award functions. He is really satisfied and his
attitude is superb. He extracts the best out of you. Being a VJ it was
difficult for me, as I had to unlearn a lot of stuff. When you are a VJ
you are talking to the camera, whereas as an actor you have to ignore
the camera. He sent me to his guru NK Sharma to unlearn. He trained me
within a month. Even when he is happy with your work he slaps you while
telling you that you have done good work. Even now, I quietly send him
my scripts to read to take his guidance. NK Sharma is an institution.
Did you learn acting formally? My
dadi was an uneducated Punjabi but I learnt my acting from her. I grew
up seeing her mimmick Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar and would copy her. At
five, I would also mimmick these stars and win prizes at school. She was
a true artist and had she been alive today, she would have been proud
of me.
You have always been lucky. Have you ever faced rejections in your life? While
I am lucky, I have seen many rejections also. In school, I was skinny
and short with braces. I was also short as a kid and used to pray
everyday to become just 5 feet 9 inches and I am exactly that today. I
was the shortest in the class, even shorter than the girls, so would
never get lead roles even though I used to act better. As a kid, I used
to feel bad as kids are judgemental. My dad has been a major influence
in my life. He would always get me out of my rejected feeling. Looking
at him, I live a healthy lifestyle and don’t smoke or drink and have seen
a sea change in my personality over time. I was rejected from the
Chandigarh rounds of Indian Idol and Zee Cinestars Ki Khoj, but I’m
happy that today I have become an actor, even though I am not from the
industry.
You are not good-looking in the conventional way. Does that bother you? No,
because for me it’s all relative and I know I was far worse when I was a
kid. I am objective when it comes to my looks and I can assure you I
will become better with age.
Ayushmann Khurrana
