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Becoming an A-list Bollywood actor is no easy feat, especially if you don’t come from a film family. But this actor didn’t just become a popular star, he carved a niche for himself in the industry and became the torchbearer of social comedy dramas in Hindi cinema. We are talking about none other than Ayushmann Khurrana, who faced many challenges on his rise to the top. From being rejected by Karan Johar to singing in trains and working as a radio jockey, Ayushmann has seen it all. Here’s a look at his journey.
Ayushmann was born in Chandigarh to a middle-class family. His father was an astrologer and his mother a homemaker. The actor completed his schooling and college in Chandigarh, where he was always active in theatre and singing, with a special inclination towards plays. He even founded theatre groups in the city that are still functional today.
Ayushmann is not just a gifted actor but also a prolific singer, with hits like Pani Da Rang, Saddi Gali, Naina Da Kya Kasoor and many more to his credit. But long before fame, he used his talent to earn extra money during his college days.
Earlier, at a press conference for Meri Pyaari Bindu, Ayushmann recalled how he used to sing in trains to fund his trips. He said, “I want to share how we used to perform in trains. During my college days, there was a train named ‘Pashchim Express’ that used to go from Delhi to Mumbai. So I, along with my friends, used to get onto the train and we used to go to every coach to sing and perform. Passengers used to give us money which we used to collect. We used to earn so much that we managed to sponsor our Goa trip from it! So yes, you can say I am a train singer.”
Ayushmann has always credited his late father P Khurrana for his solid upbringing. However, in an old interview on the Honestly Saying podcast, he also recalled how his father was extremely strict and would punish him harshly if he was caught doing mischief. He revealed that his father even raised his hand on him in his 20s after suspecting him of smoking.
He said, “I became a father in my 20s. In fact, when Vicky Donor was released, I was already a father. It was very different. Both me and Tahira (Kashyap, filmmaker) evolved together because we were very young parents. The best part is that I have a daughter. You become a better person. Daughters teach you to be more empathetic.”
The actor admitted he is a very different parent compared to his father. “I’m a completely different father. Mine was a dictator. Getting beaten with chappals, belts, etc… were par for the course, and of course, there was childhood trauma,” he said. He added, “One day I was returning from a party, and my shirt smelled of cigarette smoke. Now, I never touched it (cigarette) because of the fear of my father. But I still got beaten up for it.”
After finishing college, Ayushmann started his career as a radio jockey, but this was no ordinary job. At just 22, he was given the opportunity to host a breakfast show — a slot generally reserved for seasoned professionals.
He once wrote on Instagram, “At the age of 22, I was probably one of the youngest in the country to host a breakfast show, which is generally hosted by very seasoned radio jockeys. So, here I was at my first job and they had given me the breakfast show and they had hugely promoted that show. I was on the hoardings in Delhi. So, that was really new for that time!” Ayushmann stressed on the importance of cherishing “the starting point of one’s career because those are the formative years.”
From his theatre days, Ayushmann always dreamt of becoming an actor. That dream inched closer to reality when he appeared on MTV’s adventure reality show Roadies Season 2. In an old interview with Shehnaaz Gill, he shared that he never even auditioned for Roadies. Instead, he had auditioned for a fiction show but was not allowed to pursue it because his father wanted him to complete his education. Later, the channel reached out to him for Roadies.
“I didn’t audition for Roadies. I didn’t stand in a queue. I got a call from the channel asking me if I want to do Roadies. I took 30 days leave from college. The makers told me I will get Rs 5 lakh and a bike if I win. I went and I won,” he said.
Winning Roadies didn’t really help Ayushmann’s acting career as he failed to get any. However, while working as a radio jockey, he once got the chance to interview Karan Johar. Seizing the opportunity, he expressed his interest in acting and managed to get hold of Karan’s landline number. But even that didn’t help — he was rejected without an audition.
Years later, on Koffee With Karan Season 6, Ayushmann narrated the story to Johar himself. “You gave me a landline number. The next morning, when I called the number and asked to speak to Karan Johar, the person on the other line said, ‘We don’t audition outsiders and newcomers’ or something like that,” Ayushmann recalled. This was long before the nepotism debate shook Bollywood.
Ayushmann finally got his big break in Vicky Donor (2012), after filmmaker Shoojit Sircar and producer John Abraham spotted his potential. Playing a sperm donor was considered a risky choice for a debut, but the film’s success made him the face of a new wave of social comedies. He went on to star in films like Dum Laga Ke Haisha, Shubh Mangal Saavdhan, Badhaai Ho, Article 15, Dream Girl, Bala and more.
In 2022, Ayushmann attempted to flip his image with An Action Hero, his first full-fledged action film. However, during the shoot, he struggled with vertigo.
He shared at Aaj Tak’s media conclave, “I had vertigo six years back and my film (An Action Hero) demanded me to jump from high-rise buildings. Though there are harness cables for protection, you still feel anything can happen as you fall down at a great speed. It’s a little nerve-wracking.”
Ayushmann revealed that meditation helped him overcome the condition, though the symptoms still return occasionally. “At first, medication is of the utmost importance, because once you get up, your head starts spinning. And especially in a profession like what we are today, where the script demands us to jump from a tall building, I think meditation helps a lot. If you are really calm inside, then this helps a lot. This is curable, it keeps on coming and going. Inner power is something that people should imply.”
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