Exclusive Thamma's Ayushmann Khurrana on film's success: 'It will help me take more risks and the movie has all the triggers for a sequel'

Thamma stars Ayushmann Khurrana in the lead with Rashmika Mandanna

Bollywood actor Ayushmann Khurrana is on a high as his first big Diwali release 'Thamma' has emerged as one of the biggest blockbusters of the year.

The movie, which also stars Rashmika Mandanna opposite him, has crossed the Rs 100 crore mark in India, reaffirming Ayushmann's status as one of Hindi cinema’s most consistent and dependable stars.

The Maddock Horror Comedy Universe film, directed by Aditya Sarpotdar, has not only earned him critical acclaim but has also brought Ayushmann his biggest-ever box office opening.

For an actor who prides himself on taking unconventional routes, Thamma’s success is deeply personal.

In an exclusive conversation with Moneycontrol, Ayushmann Khurranna said its success means he is thankful and has received validation from the audience.

We also asked him about his experience of working with Rashmika Mandanna and said they shared 'great onsccreen chemistry'. Praising Rashmika, he said: "she gets her major fan from South which really works for the film."

He also spoke about the reason why he believes Thamma's success will give him the courage to take bigger risks in the future.

When asked about how he feels about the film's immense success, Ayushmann said: "I’m feeling great, feeling validated. Not been a number guy, I am a pure artist. For me, numbers only mean that it has reached out to as many people as possible. So, that’s a great validation from people. I think the best kind of appreciation is from the people and that is what has happened. So, I am very happy."

The actor has now delivered five films that have crossed the Rs 100 crore mark - Dream Girl, Dream Girl 2, Badhaai Ho, Bala, and now Thamma.

Ayushmann says that the real joy lies in finding that perfect intersection between meaningful storytelling and box office success.

“I always want to mix content with numbers, that’s always been my endeavour. I want to do films with a unique clatter-breaking and thankfully, Thamma has given that experience to people, which is uniquely its own way, though it’s part of Maddock Horror Comedy Universe. But it still offers something new, a new character, original film is Thamma, and I’m excited for the forthcoming films of the universe.”

He also spoke about the movies he is working on now besides Pati Patni Aur Woh Tum.

"I really believe that franchise should be made only if you have something new to say, though Shub Mangal Savdhan, Shubh Mangal Zyada Savdhan were two different films, Dream Girl 2 was different from 1 and taking it forward with a completely different visual of mine in DreamGirl 2, and now -next stuff is Pati Ptni aur Who Tum, in a way which is an original film of 1978. So that's something new to me, it's also a franchise, but having said that, hamma has also made that ground for a decent sequel, so though I will not call it the franchise film, it's an original film of MCHU but it has all the triggers for a sequel," he adds.

First Diwali Hit of Ayushmann 

This was his first film on Diwali and Ayushmann admits that there was immense excitement and pressure before the film's release.

Given that it was his first film as part of one of Hindi cinema’s most successful franchises, he said there were a lot of expectations and he is happy that they passed the test.

“I was always excited, and there were always expectations around it, because it’s part of the most successful universe of Hindi cinema. So expectations were already there, but it was so, I’m happy that it got my biggest release, biggest opening. My last film was 10.69 or something so this time it is 2.5X times. So it’s very gratifying, and the validation has come from the people," he told us.

Ayushmann revealed that his association with the Maddock Horror Comedy Universe (MHCU) began much earlier than most people realise. But admitted that he was happy to have played something different from his 'guy next door' look this time onscreen.

“Four years back, Amar Kaushik narrated a one-liner to me of this story, this was before Stree 2, Munjya and Bhediya. So, I was already a part of this universe, because Dinesh Vijjan had that vision, some four, five years back, to create a universe, and I got really excited by his vision, and I firmly believe that this character is too new to me, because I’ve always played guy next door in my previous films, but in this one, there is a transition from a guy next door to somebody who has these super natural powers, so that was something new.”

Arc of the character in Thamma pulled him to the movie 

He says what made it exciting was 'the arc' of his character. “I think that was a fun part, that was the most exciting part for me, because my character Alok, didn’t know how to deal with these superpowers, and that’s something very unique, he didn’t know what to do, so this was the thing, this was the arc which really excited me.”

Ayushmann has always been known for making bold choices. He believes his success has now given him even more freedom to do so.

“My philosophy is that, I have to mix the different genres. I believe that the success of Thamma will always help me to choose films which are risky on paper. I have always been a risk taker. I’ve chosen subjects which were never in the rule book of commercial cinema. So, with the success of Thamma and other commercial films of mine, that has given me the courage to take more risks with the subjects, and that’ll have a future for sure.”

He says he believes in maintaining a balance between content and commerce which has always guided every career move of his so far.

“I always make it a point, there’s a good combination of content and commerce, I’m a content first person, so whatever resonates with me, I always consume a script like an audience member, because I’m the audience, and I don’t consume a script like a star or somebody who has some other endeavours, but I think it’s just that whatever resonates with me, I go ahead with it.”

Calls himself a Producer's Actor

The actor, who has become a social media favorite with Thamma’s memes and dialogues going viral, laughs when asked about the audience’s reactions.

“They are sharing these things with me, and while shooting the film too it had us in splits, because it’s so bizarre. That’s the best part of this universe, that things people find funny and scary at the same time, though I believe Thamma is not a scary film, it’s more of funny and it has a little bit of romance and action. So, it’s good to know that people are sharing these memes," he smiled.

Ayushmann also credited his co-stars for making Thamma special. “Rashmika brings positive energy on the set, the vibe was great on set, and our chemistry is great. And she gets her major fan following from South which really works for the film. And apart from that, I worked with two very credible actors, like Paresh Rawal and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. So they, I think they take the scene to another level, then they are there. So it was a great experience working with them.”

Having carved a niche for himself as an actor who can lead both critically acclaimed and commercially viable projects, Ayushmann says the secret is collaboration and mutual respect on set.

“The journey is very gratifying, I’ve been very fortunate to work with great script writers and very creative collaborators, amazing directors, I always believe that they should be a good energy on set. So more than talented people, I’ve worked with good human beings, and that’s what excites you to be on that workspace and be on the set. So that’s what has happened to me, universe has been kind to me, that I’ve gotten good scripts and great opportunities in life," he added.

He describes himself as someone who understands the business as much as the art and calls himself a 'producer friendly actor'.

“I’ve always been a producer-friendly actor, and I always believe that everybody should be benefited out of this, of every project of mine. That’ll always be the case, that’s been the case in the past, and will be the case in the future as well. I want to be part of successful films, and that will only happen if, I’m producer friendly as a lead actor," he said.

After Thamma, Ayushmann is gearing up for an exciting slate of releases that include a Holi entertainer, a quirky comedy, and a Sooraj Barjatya film. “After Thamma, I have another festival release. It’s a Holi release. It’s called Pati Patni Aur Who Tum. It’s a very interesting film, followed by a Madhav, followed by Sikhya Dharma collaboration, which is a quirky comedy. And then, third, the next year will be Sooraj Barjatya’s film, which is like a typical quintessential family entertainer. So, I’m excited for all three.”

As we ended the conversation, Ayushmann spoke about what Thamma's success means to him personally and says, its success has reaffirmed his faith in trusting his instincts.

“I’ve chosen subjects which were never in the rule book of commercial cinema,” he says with a grin. “And I think Thamma’s success has just given me the courage to take even bigger ones.”

Thamma, which is directed by Aditya Sapotdar, is running successfully in theatres. It released on October 21 and has since been doing good business at the box office.