‘The day Ayushmann Khurrana makes me feel like he’s the bigger star, it’ll be the end for us’: Aparshakti Khurana on their ‘Ram-Lakshman’ bond

Actor Aparshakti Khurana opened up about the Ram-Lakshman relationship that he shares with his brother, actor Ayushmann Khurrana. Born and raised in Chandigarh, the siblings have had similar career paths, beginning as TV presenters, moving on to reality shows, and then to acting. While Ayushmann has tasted tremendous success as a leading man, Aparshakti works mainly as a supporting character. He addressed this inequality in a recent interview, and said that he is pleased about his brother being the more successful of them. He also said that the second Ayushmann makes him feel inferior is when their relationship will crumble.

Appearing on Shubhankar Mishra’s podcast, Aparshakti spoke about their dynamic, and said that as long as they can share a meal together as equals, there is no problem. Asked if the comparisons between him and his brother have become a sore subject, he said, “Never, 200% never, not at all. Firstly, I haven’t seen these comparisons myself. Secondly, the answer to this question can only be felt when you see us sit together and share a meal every night. We live in the same building, we have meals together, we work out together. The day my brother makes me feel like he’s the bigger star, that’s the end of the road (for us). What people say isn’t the end of the road.”

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He said that as important as the audience is, their opinion on personal matters is irreverent. Aparshakti also said that to this day, he touches his brother’s feet as a mark of respect every morning. He said, “Because we share such an old-school Ram-Lakshman relationship, it makes me wonder… What are the chances of two brothers coming from Chandigarh and making it in the films? I often think about this, and I don’t think I’ve said this before, but I’m glad that he’s more successful than I am, because in our Ram-Lakshman relationship, that’s the way it should be,” he said.

The feet-touching ritual began after they had a fight as teenagers, leaving their father incensed. “After that, the conclusion was that from this day on, you will call him ‘bhaiya’ and every morning you will touch his feet in the morning and that is the only way you can stay in this house, or you can’t stay in this house,” he recalled in an interview with Digital Commentary. While Ayushmann has not had a release this year, Aparshakti was recently a part of the blockbuster Stree 2.