From slow and steady to Andhadhun

Not too many actors currently in their thirties, can claim to be masters of their destiny. Not that we’re sure Ayushmann Khurrana has achieved zen, but if you do look at his filmography from 2016 to 2020, you’d know that he has hit a golden streak of sorts. Sample this – Dum Laga Ke Haisha (2016), Bareilly Ki Barfi (2017), Shubh Mangal Savdhaan (2017), Badhaai Ho (2018), Andhadhun (2018), Article 15 (2019), Dream Girl (2019), Bala (2019), Shubh Mangal Zyada Savdhaan (2020) and finally, Gulabo Sitabo (2020). That’s a ‘perfect ten’ streak of movies that have impressed both the classes and the masses. What makes his rise to superstardom even more impressive is the fact that back in 2015, the industry and its fans were ready to write off the ‘Vicky Donor’ (2012) sensation after he gave a slate of disappointments in the form of Nautanki Saala (2013), Bewakoofiyaan (2014) and Hawaizaada (2015). But the man turned it all around. How you ask? Well, for starters, he learnt, like any artiste, from his mistakes. Secondly, through a steady process of perseverance and gumption, he managed to find his niche in the mad, mad world of movies. And that niche was nothing but the hero of his movies – the script and story. Whether it is Dum Laga Ke Haisha or Shubh Mangal Savdhaan or Andhadhun, every single movie from that ‘perfect ten’ has the proverbial ‘paisa feko’ kind of script. It’s a story, which sends a burst of adrenaline through the creative centres of your brain, the first time that you hear it. And that has been the defining truth to Ayushmann Khurrana’s rise to the top of the marquee. Those 100-crore hits don’t come from luck alone, it takes a discerning sensibility to recognise true value.

So how did Ayushmann Khurrana crack the code of Friday frenzy and became the hottest name in Bollywood, till Covid-19 dampened the industry spirits? Well, the answers lie in his 2015 book, titled Cracking The Code, which the actor co-authored with his wife Tahira Kashyap. In this 136-page book, Khurrana lists 15 codes that he thinks were instrumental in his journey of going from a random ‘Chandigarh da munda’ to becoming a celebrated B-town actor in Mumbai. Had the corona madness spared us, Khurrana would’ve probably belted out one or two more box-office successes at the theatres this year. And the reason for his juggernaut like success has been his ability to introspect and adapt.