From exploring socially charged themes in his earlier films to riding high on the mass appeal of Thamma, Ayushmann Khurrana remains every bit the clutter breaker, as he likes to call himself. The actor is currently celebrating several firsts: his first foray into the horror-comedy space with Thamma, his first festival release, and the biggest opening of his 13-year career. “The audience has enjoyed the film, which also translates into box office success. It really matters since you do make movies for the public at large,” he says.
It’s an achievement that feels even more significant given the current landscape, where films often struggle to sustain screens and audiences. “We try to make relatable films, and if not relatable, films that offer a theaterical experience. Thamma is a fantastical visual delight, and it is meant for theatrical viewership. To see such films receiving a good response is refreshing,” Khurrana says.
The film is part of Maddock’s first-of-its-kind horror-comedy universe, which fuses folklore with modern context to make it relatable and meaningful. Khurrana plays a journalist who loses his way and stumbles into a coven of vampires. After a freak encounter with a wild bear, he is nursed back to life by a vampiress, played by Rashmika Mandanna, and gets a new lease on life, but with fangs. Their union sparks a deadly clash between humans and vampires, with plenty of horror, romance, and laughs.
“This film is more comedy and action in comparison to the previous films in the horror universe. I was rather charmed by how my character is transformed from a Gita-reading guy into something sigma and alpha, with these superpowers, and how he deals with the metamorphosis really drew me into the character,” Khurrana reflects.
The Hindi film industry, it seems, is in the midst of a horror renaissance, a genre once considered marginalised. The genre has been given a facelift for entertainment. “Maddock has brought respect to the genre. They have put in the money and brains to have a certain kind of storyline that appeals to both kids and the masses. It’s diverse, has scale, great songs, and once this was given to the genre, it was widely accepted. Times have changed, and actors are accepting the rules of this genre.”
Quirky comedy with a social pulse has long been Khurrana’s safest playground. With hits such as Dum Laga Ke Haisha, Badhaai Ho, among others, his choices have always been deliberate. “It gives me a certain relief when I do something clutter-breaking and without a reference point. That’s my USP, and I cannot deviate from that. I have a curious mind, and I will do something that is out of the ordinary, one that breaks away from trends.”
But maintaining your own individuality does come with its own set of challenges. This is why Khurrana is consciously balancing scale with sensibility. “Hardcore commercial films such as Kantara, Pushpa, and Saiyyara have done well. There’s a reason I’m also choosing all kinds of films,” he says. His future projects are a mix of family drama, comedy, and action, which include a collaboration with Sooraj Barjatya and Rajshri Films as well as Patni Patni Aur Woh Do. “I have to balance it out in the theatricals when it comes to my choices. But one thing is for sure, it has to resonate with me, with my gut, and in that realm, even in the commercial sphere, it has to have some kind of newness to it,” Khurrana adds.
Going forward, Khurrana would like to explore a grey character. “Let’s see if I get a decent script that is unique,” he muses.
