Talktime | Ayushmann Khurrana
After giving hits like Vicky Donor, Dum lagake Haisha and Bareilly Ki Barfi, Ayushmann Khurrana is now doting on a “gent’s problem” He talks to Sangeeta Yadav about working on a sensitive subject in an entertaining way
Was it difficult to work on a subject like erectile dysfunctionIJ
My Bollywood journey started with being a sperm donor. I am glad I am choosing subjects which are taboo to talk about. Representing them in an entertaining way is cool. Quirky scripts work out well for me. Shubh Mangal Savdhaan is not about manliness or getting it up but about character and bonds.
Was it difficult to play the characterIJ
It is not easy to play a character suffering from male performance anxiety. You need to be very convinced about playing someone like this and understand the sensitivity of the subject. Women can discuss about anxiety and infertility issues but men seldom talk about their sex problems. It is kind of a disruptor in the film and I want to be a disruptive actor in that sense.
What kind of research went into this roleIJ
It is difficult to research on this subject because men don’t talk about these issues. This is the only film I did without a real-life reference. No one wanted to share his experience. Often men are unable to identify the problem and put the blame on the woman. I met doctors who told me that if a guy suffers from impotency, he just doesn’t accept it because of ego. It is an alpha male society with all boys aspiring to be alpha since childhood. look at Avengers, Iron Man, Spider Man, etc, not at all real.
What’s the message of this filmIJ
It is an important film for this era as it deals with gender parity. Sometimes sexual problems are psychological, stress-related. Sometimes, they are clinical. Men have to accept the problem and solve it with the support of the partner.
Any difficult scenesIJ
The scene where Mudit gets to know about the issue and reveals it to Sugandha was one.
The entire film is full of metaphors. We have not used the word “erectile dysfunction” anywhere. We are calling it gent’s problem. It was very tricky to make a family entertainer on such a sensitive subject.
People may find the situation funny but it is earth-shattering for those who suffer from the affliction. I had to be serious and earnest in that scene where the biscuit falls and there are these metaphors used to describe the situation.
Any scene which was a laughter riotIJ
After every five moments, you will laugh out loud in the film. For me, the biscuit falling scene was funny and difficult to execute. We had to make sure the biscuit crumbled at the right moment, we had to dip it in tea for five seconds, take it out and then seen to it that it did not fall early or too late. It was funny.
Was there a kissing scene which got axedIJ
Producer Anand l Rai said he wanted to make this film a family entertainer which he could watch with his daughter. He felt 10 seconds of kissing was enough and thus, one fourth of the scene was chopped off. With this kind of films, we need producers like him.
How was it to work with Bhumi for the second timeIJ
Bhumi is a great buddy. With Dum lagake Haisha, we got to know each other as co-actors but with Shubh Mangal Savdhan, we became friends. It reflects on screen because I see two competent actors portraying edge-out roles. We both like to improvise and be natural on the sets. Our sensibilities are similar. It was amazing working with her.
Do you fear typecastingIJ
Doing something different saves you from getting typecast. I’m not doing anything conventional. The character allows an actor to break from humdrum.
In my next movie with Sriram Raghavan, I’m playing a dark character which will be a big glacier for me as an actor. I will be experimenting with the thriller genre. It is tentatively titled Shoot The Piano Player.