By Durga Chakravarty
New Delhi, Dec 17 (IANS): From playing a gay person on screen in the 2020 film 'Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan' to falling in love with a transgender woman in his latest release 'Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui', the poster boy of content-driven cinema Ayushmann Khurrana has made ends meet to spread awareness about the LGBT community.
Talking to IANS in a candid chat about the LGBTQ community still not getting the acceptance they deserve in today's time, Ayushmann, who is a strong believer of inclusivity, said: "It's unfortunate that the LGBTQ community is very invisible in our society."
Cinema has seen an evolution in the representation, says Ayushmann, who has been feted with a National Film Award.
"We have seen them being represented in a very different manner on screen in the past. We have come a long way from 'Maharani' ('Sadak') on screen to 'Maanvi' in 'Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui'."
The actor, who has appeared in Forbes India's Celebrity 100 list of 2013 and 2019 and has been named as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2020 by Times, does not mince words when it comes to creating awareness about inclusivity.
"It is part of our social responsibility as an artiste to give something back to the society and it is required, it is the need of the hour. It is a 2021 film and in 2022... be more inclusive as a society. I think this film may trigger a small change."
The 37-year-old, who is the elder brother of actor Aparshakti Khurana, has given back-to-back hits such as 'Dum Laga Ke Haisha', 'Andhadhun', 'Article 15', 'Bala' and 'Dream Girl' to name a few in his nine-year journey in Hindi cinema. The future too is bright as he has several films lined up such as 'Anek', 'Doctor G' and 'Action Hero'.
With so many hopes and responsibilities riding on him, does Ayushmann ever feel the pressure?
"I think it is a happy expectation and I am glad that people expect something out of me because there is pressure to choose the right kind of scripts and parts... I have played in the past nine years it needs to solidify because there are certain benchmarks in the past I have achieved and I think the pressure will always be there but it's a happy expectation I think from my side," he said.
There are no limits when it comes to pushing boundaries for Ayushmann.
The Chandigarh-born actor underwent rigorous training to flaunt a well-chiselled body in his latest film, which minted over Rs. 20 crores in just six days of its release.
Talking about the hard training he underwent, Ayushmann recalled: "That was the toughest part for me till now. I had never had this kind of a transformation in the past and this was something which was required for the character of the film and I was waiting for a film where I could undergo this change physically and I am glad this happened with 'Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui'."