Ayushmann Khurrana and Bhumi Pednekar have quickly
established themselves as actors who can deliver both emotion and box-office
numbers. Bhumi Pednekar joined the 100 Crore Club with her second film itself,
Toilet: Ek Prem Katha opposite Akshay Kumar. And Ayushmann’s Bareilly Ki Barfi
won over both critics and the audience.
Their second film together after Dum Laga Ke Haisha
was this Friday’s release Shubh Mangal Saavdhan, which is gaining
strength at the box-office after a slow start. They
play a young couple who are dealing with the unspoken issue of erectile
dysfunction.
In an exclusive interview with SpotboyE.com Ayushmann and Bhumi speak about their friendship, box-office success and a lot more. Watch the video above. Excerpts:
Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, Bareilly Ki Barfi and Shubh
Mangal Saavdhan, all revolve around small-town and middle-class India. And the
audience is lapping up these stories...
Ayushmann: 70% of our nation dwells in rural
sectors and only 30% stays in urban localities. So I think the stories based in
the heartland resonate with people across the nation. Audiences love simplicity
now. Ultimately it boils down to entertainment. Small-town stories are the
flavour of the season.
The big budget films are not making money, but these
films are. Why do you think that is happening?
Ayushmann: As I said, it boils down to entertainment.
Big stars like Aamir Khan and Akshay Kumar are marrying content and commerce
together, and I think that's a great benchmark for us.
Bhumi: There are great stories of survival in
this strata of society, and it's completely untapped. There is ‘desipan’ in
these stories and people want to watch Indian stories and Indian characters.
Cinema is now no more about a fairy tale. I think we are here because of this
shift. My audience has definitely changed because five years ago, no one would
have thought that a film like Dum Laga Ke Haisha would work.
Ayushmann you began your career with Vicky Donor,
where you played a sperm donor, and now you play a man suffering from erectile
dysfunction in Shubh Mangal Saavdhan. Do you think your character has come full
circle?
Ayushmann: Actually, a lot of people are
saying that my life has come full circle (laughs). After too much donation, now
it has come down to erectile dysfunction. There are a lot of memes doing the
rounds. I think all of this works well for the film. I think I am putting male
sexuality on a pedestal (laughs). It's good that people are talking about it
and that is the main motive of the film. People should be open about it and not
brush it under the carpet. This is a problem that exists and nobody talks about
it in a patriarchal society like ours because of the male ego.
Bhumi you have played the quintessential desi girl in
three films, how do you give each character its own style?
Bhumi: I hate it when people say that. You
have different sets of friends, are you the same with each and every one? So,
how can my characters be the same? Their worlds are completely different from
each other. The only similarity is that they have a lot of self respect and
strength.
Akshay Kumar And Bhumi Pednekar In Toilet: Ek Prem Katha
Ayushmann, it's your second film with Bhumi. How has your rapport changed?
Bhumi: 30 kilos
(Both laugh)
Ayushmann: We have become better
friends with Shubh Mangal Saavdhan. In Dum Laga Ke Haisha, we were more like
co-actors or acquaintances, but with this film, we have become better friends.
Having said that, I believe your chemistry does not depend on your offscreen friendship.
If you are good actors, you would look good onscreen.
Bhumi: Exactly.
Bhumi
Pednekar And Ayushmann Khurrana In Dum Laga Ke Haisha
You both were also doing another film, Manmarziyan.
What happened to that?
Bhumi: Yes (pauses). There are certain
projects that come to you but then they don't take off. It's a part and parcel
of your professional life.
Ayushmann, talking about projects getting shelved,
apart from Manmarziyan, you also signed Agra Ka Dabra and Hamara Bajaj, which
got shelved. At one point you were labelled ‘unlucky’. How do you react to that?
Bhumi: Can I go sock these people who say
that.
Ayushmann: (Laughs) Hamara Bajaj and Agra Ka
Dabra are the same project. It's just that Shoojit Sircar doesn't go ahead with
a project until and unless he is 100% sure about the script. And in this case,
he wasn't convinced about the script.
Bhumi: And I think you’d rather not do a film
than have it turn out to be a bad film. Because a film lives with you forever.
Bhumi, on the other hand you are being tagged as the
next 100 crore heroine...
Bhumi: I have done just two films and I hope
that the third one is also a blockbuster. But I think this is unnecessary
pressure. You alone are not responsible for a film doing well or not doing
well. It's a collaborative effort. Film making is a directors’ medium.
Ayushmann, when a film doesn't do well at the box-office, how does that affect your career?
Ayushmann: If your craft is not questioned
and people like your work, projects will keep coming to you. It's just that the
budget of the film changes. Of course interesting stuff is coming my way. I
don't expect someone to mount a Rs 60 crore film starring me. I do medium to
small budget films, which are high on content and the recovery is easy at the
box-office. So, till the time I don't score a Rs 100 crore film, I think the
big scale won’t be there. But at the same time if they believe in me as an
actor, then definitely the offers will be amazing.
Bhumi, there are rumours that after the success of
Toilet: Ek Prem Katha you have hiked your price. How true is that?
Bhumi: My managers might know. I also want to
know if there is any truth to that. I'll tell you what; I am not in the money
game yet. I am just three films old. I am too new to care about how much I am
paid. A good character means a lot more than money. Maybe, once I start getting
those numbers it might change (laughs).
Do you believe that there is disparity between the
money made by actors and actresses?
Bhumi: 100% there is. There have been
times when the money offered to me was not even 4-5% of what the leading actor
got. That is 90-95% less than what the hero was getting. And the hero could
just be a few films senior to me. But it is just the way it is. Having said
that, I have just done three films. There are great examples in front of us
where actresses are demanding what they rightfully deserve. They are making
things easier for newcomers like me, because they have already fought that
battle. I am glad that actresses today are speaking up about pay disparity.
Because a 90-95% gap in wages is ridiculous. We put in an equal amount of time
and effort into the film. Look at what Kangana Ranaut does or a Priyanka Chopra
does or a Deepika Padukone does. They are brilliant. Their characters will be
remembered for generations so why have this disparity.
Ayushmann: I think it will take time. In this
day and age we are making films which are women-centric, and when these film
start churning out Rs 100 crore at the box-office, then definitely the
actresses will be paid equally. We live in a time where gender parity is
happening. So I think we will get there as well.
So what after Shubh Mangal Saavdhan?
Ayushmann: I am doing Sriram Raghavan's film.
We have finished 40% of the film, and I will be resuming the second schedule in
October in Pune and some days in London.
Bhumi: I won't talk about what I have, but I
will talk about what I have already shot. I have shot for Zoya Akhtar's film in
Bombay Talkies 2. It was wonderful working with her as she was on my wish list
of directors to work with.
Image Source: erosnow & hdpics