Ahead of the release of his film Stree, in which he will be seen alongside Rakjummar Rao and Shraddha Kapoor, Aparshakti Khurana gets candid about Dangal’s success, the risk of getting typecast and his elder brother Ayushmann.
Dangal, Badrinath and now Stree, your choice of films has been interesting. What do you look for when signing a film?
Definitely not the length. I look for the role, the script and a team of people from whom I can learn and be a better artist. Stree has Rakjummar Rao, Pankaj Tripathi and Abhishek Bannerjee — actors who have done a lot more theatre than me and have a lot more experience. I knew I’d learn a lot by being a part of this film.
Your chemistry with Rajkummar and Abhishek in the trailer is cracking…
That’s what. You’ll feel like you are watching real-life friends. We had such a blast while shooting for this film that we never felt we were working together for the first time. We would play, eat, cook together in the kitchens of the guesthouses we stayed at. We used to be together like boys do in college hostels.
We have a lot of common friends but now we tell them: “Ye nahi tu humara common friend hai.”
You started as an RJ, then switched to hosting and now you have forayed into acting. Who has been your inspiration?
My older brother Ayushmann Khurrana. When you watch a Ranbir Kapoor or a Varun Dhawan on screen, you don’t find their success achievable because you don’t know them as people. Living in a small town, careers like theirs feel unachievable. But when someone with whom you have shared a room for 22 years, goes out and achieves something, it feels real. I have always looked up to Ayush Bhaiyya in the creative space.
How different are you from Ayushmann?
I am a typical loud Punjabi like my father whereas he has taken after our mother, who is subdued. Also, I have lived in Chandigarh and Delhi for a lot longer than him. That has made a lot of difference. He is simple, subtle and sweet. I am the naughty one.
Do you think Dangal was a game-changer for you?
Of course. Everyone, at some point in their career, gets that one project that catapults them to greater visibility. Not that I was not acting consistently before but Dangal has given me wider recognition.
In this film, you’re playing the sidekick to the hero once again. Are you not afraid of being typecast?
In the current time and age, someone has to go drastically wrong to get typecast in any particular way. Today, there are so many kind of films being made for different audiences across platforms. There is scope and space for everyone and everything. Also, a person should be scared of getting typecast only when they have achieved a lot in life. For me right now, doing good work is important.
When will we see you in a leading role?
I was offered the lead role in three films. I knew they were not good projects so didn’t do them. Two of them bombed, one didn’t even release. I’d rather do a small part in a good film than being the hero of a bad film.
How was it working with Rajkummar?
When I found out that Raj was doing this film, I said yes to it even before reading the script. This is the first time I have done this. I knew there would be so much to learn from him and I have. He is so passionate about his work that I think even if India did not have a film industry, Rajkummar Rao would still have found a way to be in films. He would stay overtime to give cue to other actors, he is that involved in his films.
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