Ayushmann Khurrana picks the art of unlearning

For his film debut, VJ-turned-actor Ayushmann Khurrana had to attend a month-long workshop with Delhi’s theatre group, Act One, to unlearn some of his skills.

For his film debut, VJ-turned-actor Ayushmann Khurrana had to attend a month-long workshop with Delhi’s theatre group, Act One, to unlearn some of his skills. Ayushmann, who plays the lead in John Abraham’s Vicky Donor, says, “I had to forget things that I was used to doing as a VJ. On TV, you have to talk to the camera, but in films you have to be oblivious to it.”

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Ayushmann plays a Punjabi boy in this romantic comedy, which presents a light-hearted take on the issue of sperm donation and infertility. Talking about how he got the role, he says, “Shoojit Sircar (director) wanted someone who was popular with the youth, since sperm donation is an urban concept and donors are mostly young.”

The actor recently raked up a controversy due to a remark he made on sperm donation and designer babies. Undeterred by the flak he received from doctors, he points out: “Recently, there was a report about a childless couple in Chennai, who wanted the sperm of an IIT student. So there are many such incidents.” Adding that the practice is legal, he says, “Designer babies may sound frivolous, but childless couples desire certain qualities in donors. If they want their kid to be a singer or dancer... what’s wrong with that?” After Vicky Donor, Khurrana will also be seen in two other films by Shoojit —Hamara Bajaj and Jaffna.