Outsiders Inside

Breakthrough: Vicky Donor

Coming Up: Nupur Asthana’s untitled next,and

Hamara Bajaj

Every time Ayushmann Khurrana anchored an awards show and asked the winner to come on stage to collect the trophy,somewhere in his sub-consciousness he had this desire of collecting a trophy himself. “This year,when I went to pick a trophy for best debutant,it felt surreal. No matter what struggle it entailed,I knew I would become an actor,” he says. Khurrana,after four years of struggle,found his big break when he auditioned for Vicky Donor.

An unusual story of a sperm donor,it had the audience in splits and applauding the actor’s class act. “In an industry which is so competitive,the only way to stand out is by doing a film which isn’t run-off-the-mill,” he says. Today,the dedication has paid off for the 29-year-old. Though his next film,Nautanki Saala,tanked at the box office,most consider Khurrana to have been the saving grace of the film. Living out of a suitcase and staying away from his family in Chandigarh may taken a toll on the television host-turned actor,but he is happy seeing his calendar buzzing with activities.

Ali Zafar

Coming Up: Aman Ki Aasha,and Kill Dil

GOD is my father,” says Ali Zafar,when asked if he missed having a godfather in Bollywood. When he arrived from Pakistan to debut in the Hindi film industry,not much was known of his acting talent though he was a popular singer. However,filmmaker Abhishek Sharma placed all his trust on this newbie and cast him as a notorious journalist in Tere Bin Laden.

Zafar decided to stay on in Mumbai and bagged two more films,one of them was Mere Brother Ki Dulhan,a Yashraj project. “I can’t help but be mesmerised by what life has to

offer. But I think it’s more important to

count your blessings when things are not falling into place.”

The singer-actor,with two films and a number of music concerts in his kitty,is certainly here to stay. But does he ever think what if life hadn’t turned out the way he had planned it? “I never make plans that require back up plans,” he says.

Sushant Singh Rajput

Great Expectations

When Sushant Singh Rajput was giving his first shot for Kai Po Che!,the one thought that played on his mind was,people saying,“TV actors cannot make it on the big screen”. Rajput recalls: “I kept thinking there is obviously something wrong with TV actors. And this made me nervous.” But as soon as director Abhishek Kapoor okayed the first take,he was at peace.

For Rajput,who comes from an academically inclined family in Delhi,performing arts became a part of his life when he joined college. It was his initial brush with theatre that somewhere convinced him to be an actor. “I did not have any connections,so I did not know how to go about it.” Once he told his father that if anyone gave him a role he would do it for free. “I meant it when I said that,” he says. Luckily,he did not have to do work for free because he was chosen as the lead of Pavitra Rishta and his character became a household name. “For my family,acting means nothing short of Shah Rukh Khan. They did not quite care for my TV stint.

But they were really happy to see Kai Po Che!,” the actor says.

Ranveer Singh

Coming Up: Lootera,Ram Leela,Gunday,and Kill Dil

If I hadn’t become an actor,I would still be struggling to become one,” says Ranveer Singh. It is perhaps his conviction and determination that has held him in good stead. For someone who started out only three years ago,Singh is among one of the top actors in the younger lot today. Through his public antics he may have created a bad name,but not many would contest his acting skills.

When Singh started off,he insists he knew no one in the industry. This Bandra boy was lucky to have met casting director Shanoo Sharma who,sensing an actor in him,took him under her wings. He auditioned for Band Baaja Baaraat and delivered a stellar performance in the film that went on to become a hit.

For Singh,however,it is the sustenance that matters more now. “I cannot be living in the past. I know my break opened several doors for me,but now it is up to me to keep them open,” he says. With Lootera,Ram Leela and Gunday,Singh wishes to portray three different sides of his personality.