India Is Homophobic: Ayushmann Khurrana Cites The Reason For Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui's Failure

Ayushmann Khurrana recently talked about the reasons behind the underwhelming box office performances of his most recent three films.

Ayushmann Khurrana, an actor whose movies frequently tackle taboo subjects, recently discussed the reasons for the underwhelming box office performance of his most past three movies, 'Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui', 'Anek', and 'Doctor G'. Despite being well-known and appreciated for his roles in films with unconventional plots, Khurrana's latest ventures didn't seem to be a breakthrough.

In an interview with OTT Play, the actor discussed how his movies did decently overall but also that 'Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui' struggled at the box office because of India's "homophobic" mindset.

“I started with movies on taboo subjects. I suppose the type of subjects—it has to be a community viewing, and it has to have a wider film—the kids have also been watching. In fact, my last three films, including an LGBTQ film (Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui), really don't do well commercially because, unfortunately, our country is homophobic," Ayushmann Khurrana said. 

The film, which starred Ayushmann Khurrana and Vaani Kapoor, was centred on the love tale of a trans woman. The movie received praise for dealing with the story of a trans woman and portraying it onscreen in a respectable manner with great sensitivity and maturity. The same reason, though, did not bring crowds to the theatres.

On the first day of its release in India, the movie garnered Rs 3.75 crore. Its success was, however, hampered by the growing number of covid cases because it was released at the midst of the pandemic. Reports indicate that the Abhishek Kapoor-directed movie made a total of Rs 28.26 crore.His two subsequent movies, 'Anek' and 'Doctor G', only made 9.7 crore and 31.49 crore respectively at the domestic box office.

Despite recent box office setbacks, Ayushmann said that he is still open to making unconventional film choices. “If I stop taking risks, I will be conventional. I have always been unconventional, and I make those choices. I will be taking them in the future as well, regardless of success or failure. I just keep pushing the boundaries, and that's the beauty of the budgeting of the films, too. My films are mostly low- to mid-budget, so no one loses money and I can afford to take risks,” the actor said. 

Ayushmann Khurrana's next film appearance will be in 'An Action Hero', directed by Anirudh Iyer. The movie is scheduled for release on December 2, 2022.