Aparshakti Khurana on being stereotyped in Bollywood: ‘People had a goofball kind of positioning for me in their heads’

 

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“As an actor, it’s important to do films which are different from how you perceive them. The first eight-nine films of my career were back-to-back comedies. People had a goofball kind of positioning for me in their heads. I wasn’t trying too hard to break that positioning or trying too hard to prove a point. I don’t want to get stereotyped as an actor who only does comedy or can only do serious parts. Hence, something like Berlin, which is absolutely opposite to my overall on-screen and off-screen persona,” Khurana told PTI on the sidelines of the ongoing film gala.

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The actor, who started out as a radio jockey and made his film debut with 2016’s Dangal, plays a sign language expert named Pushkin in Berlin. Khurana said he underwent rigorous coaching to learn the language. “It was a very alien world, but it was so beautiful. There’s so much to be communicated through the eyes and in sign language, it becomes even more important. The beauty of this language is that it has a more organic approach towards life,” he said.

 

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Ishwak Singh, who also stars in the espionage drama, said Berlin was one of the most challenging projects to come his way. In the film, Singh portrays Ashok, a speech and hearing-impaired man who is arrested on the charge of being a spy. “It was really tough for me. The structure of sign language is different from the spoken language so it was a big challenge… I wanted to be so good with signs so that I naturally (switch) to sign (language) when I am shooting for this (film). I cannot discount the fact that I know that I can speak… I sort of manipulate the mind so it was about being so good with it,” the Rocket Boys star added.

Sabharwal, who showcased Berlin at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles in 2023 and the Mumbai Film Festival in 2023, said he was excited to be back to the “home turf”.

“This is your theatre film crowd. I have seen a similarity in the audience everywhere, even if it was my short film (‘Midnight Lost and Found’) which was showcased in France, and Berlin which premiered in Los Angeles. Every human has the same emotions. “The moments of laughter, crying, and applause remain the same and that is the fabric that binds us all across the globe. When you see the reaction of foreign audiences, you feel relieved that the message has reached them too. If our people clap, it feels good because they are our people,” said Sabharwal, known for directing Aurangzeb and the Class of ‘83.

Produced by Zee Studios and Yippee Ki Yay Motion Pictures, “Berlin” also stars Rahul Bose, Kabir Bedi, and Anupriya Goenka. The Red Lorry Film Festival will conclude on Sunday.