“Hard to be professional around you idol”, AYUSHMANN KHURRANA on GULABO SITABO

Gulabo Sitabo streaming on Amazon Prime Video now

For Ayushmann Khurrana, Gulabo Sitabo is the realisation of his long-standing dream of working with his favourite actor, Amitabh Bachchan.

“After Dum Laga Ke Haisha [2015] released, Mr [Amitabh] Bachchan sent me a personalised note, appreciating the nuances of my performance. When I won the National Award for AndhaDhun [2018], he sent a beautiful message,” recounts Khurrana, believing that these moments were only leading up to Gulabo Sitabo, his first collaboration with the megastar. “It’s hard to be a professional actor around your screen idol. I am glad he wasn’t playing himself — the alpha male with a [deep] baritone. He was playing a character, wearing deceitful make-up. So, there wasn’t a hint of the legend on set. But after pack-up every day, I would pinch myself to believe that I was, in fact, sharing screen space with him.”

Written by Juhi Chaturvedi, the film thrives on the chemistry of its central characters — Amitabh Bachchan as the cantankerous landlord Mirza, and Khurrana, his miserly tenant Baanke. “I had previously shot Bala in Lucknow. But on this set, I had to switch to a different accent, one that’s typical of old Lucknow. My character in Bala had the Kanpuriya twang,” he reflects.

The slice-of-life film marks Khurrana’s reunion with Shoojit Sircar, the director who started it all for him with Vicky Donor (2012). The actor is glad to shift gears from his previous offerings, under the guidance of his mentor. “I owe him my career. So, if he offers me a passing role in his film, I will do it. He is my guru. I have been doing message-oriented films over the years. But this movie doesn’t offer social commentary. It’s a pure form of cinema that doesn’t commit to norms.”

The hugely awaited big ticket entertainer, Gulabo Sitabo is one of the first Bollywood projects to premiere on Amazon Prime Video, with approximately 14 language subtitles – Arabic, Russian, Polish, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Indonesian, Malay, Korean, Greek, Hebrew, Turkish along with English. 

Watch the Gulabo Sitabo Lucknow Story trailer here:

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