APARSHAKTI KHURANA Known for his roles in Dangal, Stree, Badrinath Ki Dulhania and the most recent Luka Chuppi, Khurana has effortlessly carried off all the roles. He talks to Musba Hashmi about his role, experiences and upcoming projects
This is the first time I am playing this character. There was quirkiness and relevance in it which I liked the most. You always need to be a part of relevant scripts, relevant world with relevant people so that you will be more often accepted by the audience and Kartik and Kriti are the most relevant people to be with. Here, even the subject is relevant because live-in relationships is a thing which is still not accepted by or known. Also people have a perception of this concept — may be good or bad. But after watching this film they will have a different perspective altogether. Therefore, I had to say yes to the film and also I have already done Stree with the same makers and this project was confirmed while I was shooting for Stree.
It wasn’t that hard because the character is not from a Muslim dominated area because that is when you need to get deeply into the skin of the character and you need to know the area and their language. I am not even wearing mazhabi kapde in the film. If this would have been the case then obviously it would be more interesting and would require a lot of hard work but playing Abbas was not so difficult because aap kisi bhi background se aao, sabki baatein sabka andaaz toh ek jaisa hi hota hai.
I have known both of them for sometime. Kartik and I were in the same football team from All Star Football Club and I know Kriti through my brother Ayushmann. So it was lovely to have worked with both.
While we were preparing for the first shot and everyone was busy reading their scripts. The moment I started practicing my first dialogue, Kriti turned and said: ‘Oh I thought it was Ayushmann’. That was the first reaction to my voice and the first thing that happened on day one. Kartik is from Gwalior so when we saw the city with him. It was my first visit and he made me eat Bahadura ke laddoo, they were so delicious. I can never forget the taste even now, they just melt in your mouth. I am a big foodie so I can only share anecdotes related to food.
From the inside, my life hasn’t changed much. I am still the same small town boy. But professionally it has become easier to approach people. Earlier it was difficult. Even if I had a brother working in the industry, it was difficult to call someone and say that I am Ayushmann’s brother because you are not qualified to call a senior filmmaker until you have some work to show. Now, there is a certain amount of respect that comes my way and I don’t have to stand in queue to get work.
I never wanted to become an actor. I always wanted to be a sportsperson but gradually when I failed in a couple of fields, and saw what Ayush bhaiyya was doing, I got inspired by him. But it was not the case ki chalo bhai kar raha hai toh main bhi karta hoon. Since I had failed in other fields, I prepared myself for acting through radio and theatre. Homework is important, y. You just can’t get up and say chalo acting karney chalte hain.
I also owe my gratitude to my seniors from radio and theatre who taught me and brought creativity in me to the fore. I owe my career to these people because when I started doing radio I was not even half creative as I am today. You can learn a lot just by seeing the work of certain people from the fraternity like RJ Naved, RJ Sarthak from Red FM or Abish without even knowing them personally.
I just got back from London, I was shooting for Street Dancer. I am also working on a film titled Kanpur. Both will release this year.