EXCLUSIVE | If I Hadn't Done Jubilee, People Wouldn't Have Taken My Acting Seriously: Aparshakti Khurana

Aparshakti Khurrana talks about 'Jubilee', the character prep, journey as an artist and life in general in an exclusive interview with ABPLive.

Aparshakti Khurana as Madan Kumar in Jubilee

Source : Instagram/@aparshakti_khurana

New Delhi: Aparshakti Khurrana has broken ground with his performance in Vikramaditya Motwane's 'Jubilee'. An actor cast as the hero's friend and the second lead for many years is seen as the main protagonist in the Prime Video series inspired by the Golden Age of Hindi cinema. Aparshakti Khurrana talks about 'Jubilee', the character prep, journey as an artist and life in general in an exclusive interview with ABPLive.

Excerpts from the conversation with Aparshaki Khurrana.

 Had it not been for OTT, If Jubilee were released in a feature film format with you headlining it in theatres, do you think it would have worked or that audiences would have accepted you as a leading star in a movie?

I don't know because this show wasn't written to be a film. It was always meant to be a 10-episode series. It's very situational. I mean, if it was written as a film, maybe, maybe not, and at the end of the day, it is about what product you are coming out with. We have come out with a very fine product, I would like to believe. A show that we all can be proud of, even the audience are showering love because they loved it. 

I think if the product is good and even if ‘Jubilee’ was a film, we would have received similar feedback. If you bring a good product, the platform does not matter.

Did you draw on personal experiences to prepare for a role like this when we have mostly seen you as the hero’s friend or as comic relief in films? Did you use your angst in a grey-shaded character like Binod Das?

The preparation to approach the character is the same. It is never about because you have played the hero’s friend or second lead, you have to prepare in a certain way. I mean, you just need to focus on your work, and I am an out-and-out team player so I don’t get into things the wrong way. So, I was only considering whether I am supposed to be Binod or Madan irrespective of the length of their character, regardless of their relevance in the world, irrespective of the fact, that they are the protagonist. 

For Madan Kumar, it was fairly easy to play him because when a person wants to be an actor, he dreams about being that star. He thinks about what would happen if he became famous. Every time one stands in front of the mirror, you think people will come for pictures when you step out of your car if you become a famous actor. So, you dream about these things, you think of such things when you are aspiring to be an actor. So, Madan Kumar was fairly easy. He is quite flamboyant, and I am a Punjabi boy from Chandigarh, and I can do all that loudness, the cars, the sunglasses, and everything. Doing all that is easy!

But coming to the subtle side, the subtle version of it, the Binod Das, I think that was tough to crack. But there were workshops to make it happen. Also, there was one real-life situation that I took motivation from. When I was planning to become a TV host/VJ, I would send emails to music and sports channels, but for many reasons, the auditions never happened. Once, there was a vacancy for a costume stylist, so, I tried to sneakily go into the organization as a costume stylist and quietly gave the audition to become a VJ. It was from there that my TV hosting journey started. A weird connection; I feel Binod also did something like this. He was working at Roy Talkies, and he gave an audition quietly in his own way in ‘Jubilee’. 

To be able to succeed in any profession, some amount of mentorship and guidance is necessary. Who would you call your mentor, and what advice would you give to people who want to begin their acting careers in the film industry?

There are some people I usually call to understand life or discuss roles, films, and shows. One of them is Vipul Vig ( writer of 'Fukrey'), Shashank Khaitan( Director of 'Badrinath Ki Dulhaniya'), and friends Sarvesh and Priyam, who are my neighbours and who also come from filmmaking and theatre background. Then, my wife Aakriti and for music, I connected with Ayushmann Bhaiya ( Ayushmann Khurrana).

It’s just that film is such a big format that it becomes difficult for me to read his scripts and for him to read my scripts. Already, I am not able to finish my scripts. Otherwise, of course, he( Ayushmann) is always there to guide me. 

For young actors, I would like to say don't think too much and don't kind of get carried away. Life is way beyond the followers on Instagram. I want to tell the young aspiring actors that they should start doing theatre from school time. It will really help them. 

And I can only speak for myself about what worked for me. When I wanted to come to this city, I never sat idle, even for a day. I picked up a job, and then side by side, I auditioned. So, that really worked for me. I feel that when you audition for a role and if you happen to be jobless, there is a different kind of desperation in your eyes to crack that audition, desperation which may or may not work for the character you are auditioning for.

Hard work & ‘talent’ aside, do you believe in destiny? For so many actors out there, not many make it big. Do you think destiny has some say in charting your life’s course?

If you had asked me do you believe in destiny, I would have said no, but then about many actors not getting their due while some do, I don't know. I feel it’s really about being at the right place at the right time, and if you call it destiny, then maybe it is destiny. It could be possible that if I had not played a serious part in 'Jubilee', many would not have taken my acting seriously, and they would have made me do comedy only. So, it is really about being at the right place at the right time and performing at the right time. That’s what 'Jubilee' was for me.

What can you tell us about your upcoming projects?

I have finished my next film called 'Berlin' with Atul Sabharwal, who has written 'Jubilee' and the dialogues for the series.  The film has been sent to the festival circuit and will be released at the year's end. I have also finished a documentary. I travelled from Ayodhya to Sri Lanka and stopped everywhere Sri Ram stopped during his exile.That documentary will also release at the end of the year, and I am also working on my next music single.

Aparshakti Khurana background

Aparshakti Khurana is an actor, radio jockey, host, singer, and former captain of the Haryana U-19 Cricket Team. He is also the younger brother of actor Ayushmann Khurrana.

Aparshakti debuted with Aamir Khan-led blockbuster 'Dangal' establishing his position as a character known for his comic timing. He then went on to star in films commercially successful films like 'Badrinath Ki Dulhania', 'Stree', 'Luka Chuppi', 'Pati Patni Aur Woh' as the hero's friend and second lead. In 2021, he was seen as the solo lead in the OTT film 'Helmet'.