At check point

Ayushmaan Khurana on spoofing celebrities at MTV's Fully Faltoo festival, interviewed by Gautam Hegde.

Who decided to cast you as Fakir Khan in

HT Image

Cheque De India

?

The MTV creative team has seen my mimicry acts in

Wassup

. It was their call.

How many times did you see

Chak De! India

to get the act right?

I had watched it twice already. I had to see it again to perfect the nuances and body language.

And have you done the same for Hrithik Roshan’s part in

Jaadu Ek Baar..

the spoof of

Jodhaa Akbar

?

No, we have refrained from aping Hrithik Roshan in

Jaadu Ek Baar

. He doesn’t have a distinctive style that could be copied. We didn’t want to repeat the

Koi Mil Gaya

act because that’s already been done.

Have you always been a filmi guy?

(Laughs) I have wooed girls over the phone talking like Shah Rukh Khan. And guess what, they did get impressed.

You’ve been a

Roadie

once. What do you think of the seasons after?

Roadies

is the only show in India which has grown increasingly popular over the years unlike shows like

Indian Idol

whose appeal has diminished over the years.

Roadies

has become meaner.. the tasks tougher. Would you have been able to sustain its energy?

I’m not a very adventurous guy. The only reason I took on the show was because I love travelling. But our season travelled through the cow belt of India which wasn’t quite as fun. (Laughs) I did the tasks because we HAD to.

You were a part of daily soaps

Kayamath

and

Ek Thi Rajkumari

before you jumped to MTV. Is it goodbye to daily soaps?

I’m waiting for a renaissance to happen on television. I wish shows like

Banegi Apni Baat

were made again with actors like Harsh Chhaya and Shefali Shah.

What would you like to be — an RJ, VJ or an actor?

I guess VJing and RJing combined. I enjoy it.

And get paid for it!

I used to get paid more as a daily soap actor. There, actors get paid Rs 25,000 a day. But I have no issues because I’m 24. I’d never have the chance to be a VJ, 10 years down the line. And if I stuck around doing soaps, I’ll probably play a dad once I’m 26.

And once a father, you wouldn’t be taken on as a VJ.

Precisely. I want to reach out to the youth because they are the opinion leaders of tomorrow. Take

Rock On!!

for example. Farhan Akthar made it with the young

janta

in mind.

Which recent film bugged the hell out of you?

God Tussi Great Ho

. It was a hamming competition on screen.

When was the last time you had cold feet?

I was in NDA, Khadakwasla, when I was interviewing this officer who was like 6”3 tall.

He had such a towering personality that I got very nervous. And I kept asking him about the army till it struck me that he is from Air Force! He laughed, “Should you be more nervous than me?”