As ‘AndhaDhun’ turns 3, Ayushmann Khurrana says film ‘made me unlearn and learn a lot’

By ANI

MUMBAI: Bollywood star Ayushmann Khurrana, who has become the poster boy of content cinema in India after choosing movies with social messages and serious takeaways, recently celebrated three years of his 2018 hit film ‘AndhaDhun’.

On the third anniversary of ‘AndhaDhun’, helmed by ace filmmaker Sriram Raghavan, Ayushmann thanked the director for choosing to collaborate with him for this disruptive entertainer that became the talk of the nation.

Ayushmann said, “I naturally gravitate towards edgy and disruptive scripts and Andhadhun was a combination of everything that is fresh, unique, path-breaking. Sriram Raghavan is one of the best directors of our country and I’m fortunate that I got the opportunity to creatively collaborate with him.”

The actor, who made his Bollywood debut with ‘Vicky Donor’, said that ‘AndhaDhun’ made him “unlearn and learn a lot.”

He said, “I surrendered to his vision and his mastery and I’m proud that Andhadhun is part of my filmography. It is a project that made me unlearn and learn a lot. Playing a blind man who plays the piano was not an easy task.”

Ayushmann revealed that he was hand-held by Sriram all through the preparation process and shoot which resulted in him delivering a brilliant performance that earned him the Best Actor award at the prestigious National Film Awards.

He said, “I couldn’t have done this with authenticity if I didn’t have a visionary person like Sriram sir to handhold me. I have to credit Pooja Ladha Surti (co-writer and editor) for her magic in shaping the film. And I’m thankful to my piano coach Akshayye Varma too.”

Ayushmann felt challenged as an artiste during ‘AndhaDhun’ and that propelled him to deliver his best on-screen.

He said, “I’m a total director’s actor and Andhadhun made me a better actor than before. It taught me to always challenge myself as an artiste and be a restless creative soul. Andhadhun was one of the most fulfilling films creatively for me as it gave me the freedom to express myself freely. So, all credit to Sriram sir for bringing out a side to me that I didn’t think existed and I thank him for choosing me to be a part of his masterpiece.”

The film, which was critically acclaimed and commercially successful, also started Tabu and Radhika Apte in pivotal roles.

It followed the story of Akash (Ayushmann), a brilliant pianist who pretends to be visually impaired. He unwittingly becomes entangled in a number of problems as he witnesses the murder of a former film actor.

Ayushmann currently has three movies in the pipeline: ‘Doctor G’, ‘Anek’ and ‘Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui’.