Divya
Aparshakti Khurana remains to be one of our most versatile actors with the best sense of style there is.
In an exclusive interview with Instant Bollywood, Aparshakti spills the beans on his film Helmet and upcoming digital debut – Stardust.
How Did You Spend Your Quarantine?
I think in a way we have made the most out of quarantine in Chandigarh. Within no time shoots started there. Chandigarh was the first city to grant permission to all the film makers to shoot. There were four films being shot there at the same time. I was shooting for a Maddock film, Ayush was shooting for ‘Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui’, Shahid was shooting for ‘Jersey’ and Varun was shooting for ‘Jug Jug Jeeyo’. I think it was really cool to witness these four shoots happening at the same time. We had a chance to get together with old friends and my mom was very happy that we were all together! When we were leaving, she got all teary eyed saying, “oh God wapis jaa rahe ho”.
Transition From An RJ To An Actor
God has been kind, thankfully in all the films I’ve done, I haven’t had a bad patch yet. Things have only been on a growth so I think I can’t complain. But of course, there were days when I had to think ‘how do I make this transition?’ which should just come naturally to me and not look forced. It should not change my mindset or inner self. Maybe because of theatre, music and I think TV hosting also helped a lot so when I’m not doing films, I’m hosting shows. So I think TV hosting has bridged the gap and has helped a lot because I’m still there doing something in front of the camera. So all this has helped the transition from RJ-ing to acting. Even today, though I’m not hosting reality shows anymore, I still host IIFAs, Miss India, etc. so that part of me is still there because I don’t have to go and play a character. I get to dress up nicely and be myself, wear cool clothes and say what I want to say. I think it’s very important to be yourself in from of the camera apart from playing roles.
Did You Always Want To Be An Actor?
I’ll be lying if I say I’ve always wanted to become an actor. A lot of people might not agree to it because my brother, who is elder than me has always been a part of this fraternity. You know when your brother is an actor, people will think ‘isko humesha se actor hi banna tha’. But that way definitely not the case. People have seen my journey so they’ve seen how I was trying to be a cricketer first. We have read things about me as a cricketer, as a lawyer, as a musician, so I think I did try various other professions. It’s just that this journey culminated into making me face the camera in a very different way. Even I did not know that it would bring out the best in me and that people would appreciate me this way. When you get this appreciation from the audience, fraternity and friends and family, you feel like doing it more. I think this feeling has been keeping me going and I hope I able to deliver as much as possible.
Is The Audience Ready For A Film Like ‘Helmet’ Which Talks About Unspoken Awkward Social Moments?
Absolutely. This is the time to talk about all these things and I mean this is the best way for people to understand that it’s normal to go and ask for a pack of condoms at a medical store. I think in the past 5 to 7 years we have broken all the norms. We have given a paradigm shift to how films have been perceived and how storytelling has broken all the norms. I think going forward it’ll only become better from here, more organic and more evolved. Talking about such issues definitely required films and such organic actors like me and Abhishek Banerjee. We also require production houses to come and talk about such topics and make some evolved films.
I think most of the films that I’ve done so far are all situational comedies. This one, I’d call awkward comedy. Like when life gives you awkward situations, even in reality, we end up laughing at them later on. I think these awkward moments of life really bring about the best comedy on screen in the most innocent way. So this is something that is very relatable and is based on a small town in Uttar Pradesh because these days people are able to relate to that humour more.
Digital Debut – ‘Stardust’
From the past one year we were reading scripts to do something on digital and it was only apt to zero down on this one because it is also one of the most leading platforms of the country. It is being directed by one of the most relevant writer-directors -Vikramaditya Motwane. I think he is such a genius, I am 100% sure he’ll make me a better performer with the way I read scripts, interpret them and it will have a certain kind of growth there as well. I am very excited to work with Prosenjit Chatterjee, he is a legend. I think it is very difficult for actresses to keep themselves relevant for such a long time and Aditi Rao Hydari has done that beautifully. I think as and when she’s growing old she will become a prettier version of herself. She’s really transformed herself into an actress who is beautiful and a wonderful performer. I look forward to working with her as well. I think Stardust is going to be one of the leading shows to look forward to next year.
Is It Difficult Portraying An Era We’re Not From?
It is something which really will need you to bring your game to the topmost level It is an era where you might not have so much to improvise. You have to really read up and be through and through with your script because you can’t have such slangs or improvise your dialogue to make it sound funny or quirky. It is different because that era was black and white then. You had long white collars on your shirt and a different moustache then. Yes, it was a very different era where you really need to be thorough with the nuances of that era. You need to make your character look and behave differently as well.
Love For Fashion
While growing up, I was always fond of shopping. I used to look forward to the days when our father would take us shopping. Having said that, it is not something that my life revolved around when I was a kid. I was more into sports. But when I was growing, it’s just that the professions I was a part of were very creative and it all goes hand in hand with your fashion sense as well. Your audience does look up to you and what you’re wearing. I would like to believe that fashion comes half naturally. I love that people are appreciating me for my fashion and ever since I’ve gotten to know that, I have been reading up on it more. Like what are the new cut, the new fabrics, athleisure, streetwear brands especially outside India, high sneakers, sweatshirts and other styles which are going around these days. The fact that there are so many buyers for these styles means that people are really aware and possessive about their fashion these days and so am I.
I do want to know what I am wearing today and where it’s from. But I am not that guy who will not want to wear something which is extremely affordable just because I spent a bomb on other outfits. If you ask me, I think fashion should be affordable and at some point it does become that way. It’s just that I have the bandwidth and the resources to catch pieces from Milan or London. But having said that, it is never about the classics. I would love to be on the street wearing a white kurta-pyjama suit with Kolhapuri chappals.
Favourite Fashion Moments
There have been two. The most recent one is when I wore the YSL blue suit to Miss India where even Shane and Peacock complimented that so I got the vibe from everyone that I’m looking fine. The other was a couple of years ago at the HT Style Awards where I wore a white pair of Tom Ford evening glasses and a black Armani suit.
