New Directorial Voices Have Freshness And Hunger Says Ayushmann

MUMBAI-Actor Ayushmann Khurrana, who is gearing up for the release of his upcoming film ‘Udta Teer’, says he does not look at whether a filmmaker is directing their first film or their tenth. For him, the deciding factor is whether they have a story and vision that can excite him.

Ayushmann has worked with filmmakers including Sharat Katariya on ‘Dum Laga Ke Haisha’, R. S. Prasanna on ‘Shubh Mangal Saavdhan’, Raaj Shaandilyaa on ‘Dream Girl’, Hitesh Kewalya on ‘Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan’ and Anubhuti Kashyap on ‘Doctor G’. He is now collaborating with writer-director Akash A. Kaushik on ‘Udta Teer’, which marks Kaushik’s feature directorial debut.

Two of Ayushmann’s notable commercial successes, ‘Dum Laga Ke Haisha’ and ‘Dream Girl’, were also directed by filmmakers making their feature debuts at the time.

“For me, the script always comes first. I don’t look at whether a filmmaker is directing their first film or their tenth film…I look at whether they have a story and a vision that can excite me. Some of the most memorable experiences of my career have come from collaborating with new voices,” Ayushmann said.

“They bring hunger, freshness and the courage to look at familiar subjects differently. I have always believed that when the conviction behind a story is strong, it deserves to be supported.”

In ‘Udta Teer’, Ayushmann plays Bilal Ahmed, a Pakistani spy who suffers memory loss and begins to believe he is Indian.

“Every new director brings a different energy to the set. With Udta Teer, what drew me in was not just the genre, but the world Akash had created. It is rare to find a script that can be chaotic, funny, emotional and rooted in a larger idea at the same time. I wanted to surrender to that vision and allow the character to take me somewhere unexpected.” (IANS)