Mumbai, Nov 8 (IANS): Over the years, Ayushmann Khurrana has carved a niche for himself as the flagbearer of content-driven cinema in India.

Be it his debut film 'Vicky Donor', 'Dum Laga Ke Haisha', 'Shubh Mangal Saavdhan', 'Badhaai Ho', 'Article 15', 'Dream Girl' or 'Bala', the actor has always served blockbuster social entertainers by making a space for taboo topics for public discourse.

'Bala', one such film, celebrates its second anniversary Monday. The film talks about inclusivity and delivers a social message of acceptance of one's own beauty. Ayushmann says that the colossal success of the film strengthened his confidence in the offbeat content and that the cinema which was once dubbed as middle of the road, is the new mainstream in India.

The actor says, "Bala's success reiterated the fact that good content cinema could not be dubbed offbeat anymore. Such films had become mainstream cinema and, in fact, they were defining what cinema should be."

"I have to credit my director Amar Kaushik for his vision and my producer Dinesh Vijan for his belief in the subject. They were monumental forces in giving India a high content, super entertaining film that put the issue of inclusivity and evils of discrimination at its fore. I had taken this subject to them which had come via a dear friend Ranimol, which Dino and Amar developed into such a unique feature", he adds.

Ayushmann now feels more confident about choosing subjects that are different from the league, especially after 'Bala's success.

"The fact that Bala became a roaring blockbuster solidified my belief system that I should walk the path less travelled and give audiences cinema that should always be novel yet highly engaging and entertaining. The love that I have got for 'Bala' has only humbled me and made me strive to be a better entertainer who seeks to give an important message to audiences," the actor concluded.