I
Have
Become
More
Practical
In
Life
Now
What
is
it
about
love
that makes
your
character
Abhimanyu
Roy
write
pulp
fiction?
A.
(laughs)
My
character
in
the
film
loves
writing
pulp
fiction
and
horror
novels.
But
at
the
same
time,
he
ironically
imagines
Bindu
in
each
and
every
protagonist
of
his
novel.
But
of
course these
are
not
the
eulogies
or
dedications
to
his
beloved.
It's
just
that
it's
his
expression
of
love
or
maybe
his
weird
imagination.
How
much
do
you
relate
to
Abhimanyu
in
real
life?
A.
In
my
early
20s
or
probably
in
my
teens
I
was
vulnerable
and
naive
and
that's
how
Abhi
is
in
the
film.
So,
I
could
relate
to
that
part.
Probably
I
have
became
more
practical
now
in
life.
Apart
from
that
I
could
relate
to
his
love
for
music.
I
Still
Believe
That
Success
Is
A
Lousy
Teacher
After
the
success
of
your
last
film
'Dum
Laga
Ke
Haisha',
do
you
feel
that
the
burden
of
failure
is
off
you
now?
A.
I
think
that
if
you
have
talent
then
you
would
definitely
get
good
opportunities
as
an
actor.
I
am
glad
that
in
a
span
of
five
years
I
have
given
two
National
Award
winning
films-
Vicky
Donor
and
Dum
Laga
Ke
Haisha.
I
am
very
fortunate
that
I
am
getting
quality
roles.
Success
and
failure
will
come
and
go.
I
still
believe
that
success
is
a
lousy
teacher.
You
should
have
failures.
That's
the
path
of
growing
up
in
life.
What
have
you
learnt
from
your
failures?
A.
Sometimes
you
get
very
myopic
when
you
think
about
a
particular
role.
Now
I
have
learnt
that
the
film
is
at
most
importance.
You
should
look
at
totality
and
not
just
prioritize
your
role
in
particular.
Does
a
film's
failure
take
a
toil
on
you?
A.
I
am
a
very
level-headed
guy.
But
of
course
as
a
human
it
does
affect
you.
I
am
not
very
expressive
as
a
person.
I
think
it's
the
perspective
which
changes
of
the
outside
world.
But
internally,
I
just
take
it
as
an
experience.
If
Every
Actor
Is
Doing
A
Commercial
Film
Then
Where
Is
The
Space
For
The
Amol
Palekars
&
Farooq
Sheikh's
Of
Today's
World?
Was
it
a
conscious
decision
of
yours
to
take
up
content-driven
films?
A.
I
started
my
career
with
unconventional
films.
I
always
believed
that
I
was
an
unconventional
actor.
If
every
actor
is
doing
a
commercial
film
then
where
is
the
space
for
the
Amol
Palekars
and
Farooq
Sheikhs
of
today's
world?
I
think
I
am
happy
being
in
that
space.
I
want
to
do
films
which
are
novel
and
unconventional
and
own
that
space.
Ayushmann,
in
most
of
your
films
you
have
played
a
common
everyday
character
which
one
could
relate
to.
But
then
do
you
think
that
in
some
way
then
you
won't
be
getting
offers
for
a
larger-than-life
or
action-oriented
roles?
A.
It
really
doesn't
matter.
A
month
back
Aditya
Chopra
had
told
me
that
my
real
life
persona
reflects
on
screen
which
is
great.
You
come
across
an
enduring
guy
which
reflects
on
screen.
We
evolve
every
day.
Till
the
time
I
don't
feel
that
I
can
be
an
action
hero,
I
cannot
become
one.
I
think
it's
an
internal
process.
I
still
have
a
long
way
to
go.
I
Am
Glad
That
I
Get
Those
Kind
Of
Roles
Where
I
Don't
Have
To
Bulk
Up
Or
Lose
Weight
Drastically
A
lot
of
actors
these
days
are
going
out
of
their
way
to
look
their
character.
If
given
a
chance,
would
you
like
to
gain
or
lose
weight
if
your
role
demands
such
transformation?
A.
It
depends
on
the
character
in
the
film.
If
given
a
chance
then
why
not?
I
think
Bhumi
Pednekar
was
one
of
the
first
female
actresses
to
do
that.
But
of
course,
it's
not
easy.
It
takes
a
toil
on
your
health.
I
am
glad
that
I
get
those
kind
of
roles
where
I
don't
have
to
bulk
up
or
lose
weight
drastically.
But
if
given
a
chance
and
the
script
is
crazy
then
I
would
definitely
do
it. I
don't
want
to
do
it
just
for
the
heck
of
it.
Any
plans
of
making
a
comeback
on
television?
A.
I
think
web
excites
me
more
than
television.
I
started
my
career
as
an
anchor
for
a
youth
channel.
Not
many
people
know
that
I
even
did
a
fiction
show
for
three-six
months.
There
was
a
lot
of
edgy
content
on
TV
in
2008.
That
youth
channel
was
known
for
edgy
content
but
it's
not
the
same
anymore.
I
think
now
web
is
the
place
where
edgy
content
happens.
Television
is
still
slighty
regressive.
I
would
love
to
do
some
progressive
stuff
on
web.
This
is
your
third
film
under
the
Yash
Raj
banner.
Has
it
become
a
family
to
you
now?
A.
I
am
glad
that
I
am
a
part
of
this
family.
It's
like
a
boutique
managing
agency.
There
are
a
few
selected
actors
who
are
being
managed
by
YRF-
Arjun,
Ranveer,
Parineeti,
Anushka,
Bhumi
and
myself.
I
think
it's
great
to
be
here
because
you
feel
really
secured
here.
You
have
a
mentor
like
Aditya
Chopra
who
has
seen
the
world
and
is
doing
different
kind
of
stuff.
He
is
someone
who
makes
something
like
'Dhoom' and
then
'Dum
Laga
Ke
Haisha'.
They
are
doing
variety
of
stuff
and
also
evolving
with
times.
For
The
Visual
Thing
And
Commercial
Aspect,
An
Actor
Would
Be
More
Saleable
Than
A
Singer
What's
your
take
on
this
debate
about
actors
taking
up
singing?
A.
It's
a
very
Indian
tradition
of
lip-syncing
songs.
In
the
west
you
generally
sing
your
own
songs.
So,
I
don't
know
what
this
hullalaboo
is
all
about.
I
think
that
if
you
sing
your
own
songs,
it
just
lends
credibility
to
your
character
on
screen.
But
having
said
that,
talking
about
this
Justin
Bieber
concert,
I
think
it's
just
the
commercial
aspect.
There
is
is
a
hierarchy
in
our
industry
which
I
don't
know
whether
it
is
right
or
wrong.
We
are
obssessed
with
cricket
and
cinema.
They
are
two
huge
entities
in
our
country.
Automatically
there
are
given
the
spotlight.
If
somebody
like
Shahrukh
Khan
sings
Sooraj
Hua
Madham
or
Gerua,
people
believe
he
is
a
singer.
He
owns
that
song.
It
is
ironic
that
we
consume
music
visually.
So,
I
think
that
for
the
visual
thing
and
commercial
aspect,
an
actor
would
be
more
salable
as
compared
to
a
singer.
Whether
it
is
right
or
wrong
is
highly
debatable.
Cricket
and
films
are
the
primary
passion
of
this
country.
When
it
comes
to
IPL
they
do
tend
to
mix.
Do
it
think
sometimes
it's
like
a
forced
marriage?
A.
It
can't
be
forced
for
sure.
But
IPL
is
a
great
franchise.
I
think
it's
doing
very
well
because
two
great
entities
are
together.
This
marriage
is
so
perfect
because
these
two
entities
are
biggest
in
the
country.
But
having
said
that,
I
think
talking
about
the
anchors,
they
should
be
pure
sportsperson.
I
wasn't
a
sports
anchor.
Though
I
have
played
cricket
at
the
district
level.
But
I
wasn't
well
versed
with
IPL.
I
still
don't
watch
them.
I
am
more
into
test
cricket
or
probably
I
will
watch
something
else.
But
yes,
sports
anchoring
is
a
complete
different
ball
game.
We
Have
Realised
The
Potential
Of
A
True
Indian
Story
Through
Baahubali
These
days
we
see
a
lot
of
comparison
being
made
between
Bollywood
films
with
that
of
a
magnum
opus
like
Baahubali
or
films
in
the
west.
Do
you
think
that's
fair?
A.
Comparisons
will
also
happen
be
it
with
international
cinema
or
Indian
cinema.
It
depends
on
what
kind
of
audience
it's
catering
to.
For
example
a
UP
Hindi
speaking
audience
may
not
relate
to
something
in
the
west
unless
it's
dubbed.
I
think
Baahubali
is
a
great
franchise
because
it's
dubbed
and
too
Indian.
It's
mythology,
historical
in
a
way
and
fiction.
That's
why
it's
working.We
have
realised
the
potential
of
true
Indian
story
through
Baahubali.
It's
like
a
case
study.
Do
camps
in
industry
bother
you?
A.
I
was
so
lost
after
Vicky
Donor.
I
was
like
'why
are
they
after
my
life
now?'
(laughs)
Over
the
years
I
have
realised
that
this
is
a
part
of
the
drill.
This
is
how
it
works
and
now
I
have
a
part
of
Yash
Raj
camp
in
a
way.
But
at
the
same
time,
Arjun
(Kapoor)
has
worked
with
Dharma
and
their
actors
are
working
here.
So,
it's
all
fair
now
and
majorly
depends
upon
the
character
that
you
are
playing.
Was
there
any
life-changing
moment
in
your
life?
A.
I
think
my
life
changing
moment
was
when
I
became
a
video
anchor.
When
I
was
doing
fiction
on
TV,
I
was
rejected
a
lot
of
times.
I
was
playing
the
second
lead
in
a
TV
show
called
Kayamath
and
I
had
accepted
it
that
this
was
my
life.
I
was
doing
radio
and
TV
simultaneously.
But
when
I
became
a
VJ
on
televsion,
I
was
like
this
is
it.
I
was
determined
to
establish
my
name
as
Ayushmann.
We
Were
Like
Nerds
On
Roadies
You
have
been
a
part
of
a
reality
show
in
your
early
days.
So how
real
are
they
according
to
you
in
today's
times?
A.
When
I
started
as
a
reality
show
contestant,
that
was
the
time
when
these
shows
had
just
started
in
India.
I
was
18
that
time.
My
first
reality
show
was
Popstars.
After
that
Roadies
happened
in
2004.
That
was
the
time
when
it
was
just
the
onset
of
reality
shows.
It
was
just
a
journey
from
point
A
To
B
without
any
faff.
We
never
used
to
abuse
each
other.
We
were
a
bunch
of
decent,
intelligent
people.
That's
why
that
was
the
worst
season
of
Roadies
as
they
were
no
TRPs.
We
were
like
nerds
on
Roadies.
Later
on,
I
think
they
just
started
taking
back
benchers
so
that
they
can
just
fight
among
themselves.
Sometimes
You
Just
Want
To
Play
Your
Alter
Ego
On
Screen
Writers
are
known
to
be
more
expressive
when
it
comes
to
written
words.
Whereas
actors
need
to
be
more
animatedly
expressive.
How
did
you
strike
a
balance?
A.
I
feel
I
am
more
expressive
as
a
writer.
I
am
a
different
person
when
cameras
are
on.
Otherwise
in
real
life,
I
am
not
much
expressive.
But
sometimes
you
just
want
to
play
your
alter
ego
on
screen.
I
feel
like
a
superman
but
I
am
not.
My
Films
Mostly
Depend
On
Reviews
And
How
People
Accept
Them
How
much
important
are
box
office
numbers
to
you?
A.
The
kind
of
films
which
I
have
done
normally
do
well
with
the
word
of
mouth.
They
mostly
depend
on
reviews
and
how
people
accept
the
film.
So,
I
am
the
least
person
on
the
earth
who
can
comment
on
box
office
numbers.
I
don't
understand
numbers.
I
Am
A
Bengali
Trapped
In
A
Punjabi
Body
With
Mother's
Day
round
the
corner,
what's
the
essence
of
a
mother
in
your
life?
A.
I
have
got
my
dimples
from
my
mother
(smiles).
I
am
subtle
because
of
my
mother.
Being
a
Punjabi,
I
am
not
loud
which
is
an
oxymoron.
I
still
feel
that
I
am
a
Bengali
trapped
in
a
Punjabi
body.
I
am
in
love
with
Bengal
these
days.
I
have
discovered
Rabindranath
Tagore
and
Rabindra
sangeet.
I
have
planned
to
put
a
life-sized
portrait
of
Tagore
in
next
house.
That
academic
side
of
reading
about
Premchand,
Manto
comes
from
my
mother.
I
have
got
patience
from
her.
Of
course,
my
talent
comes
from
my
father's
side
but
my
mother
is
responsible
for
my
character.