Ayushmann Khurrana Recalls ‘Hustling’ For Andhadhun After Director Initially Refused To Cast Him

Ayushmann Khurrana headlined the 2018 cult classic movie Andhadhun along with Tabu. The dark comedy movie was directed by Sriram Raghavan and won the National Film Award for Best Hindi Film, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Actor for Ayushmann Khurrana. In a new interview, the actor opened up on how he landed the role in the drama and how Tabu and him were kept in the dark about the plot. 

Ayushmann Khurrana says he ‘hustled’ for Andhadhun 

In a recent interview with Mashable India Ayushmann Khurrana recalled how he hassled the director for a role in the black comedy movie. He asserted that he ‘snatched’ the film from Sriram Raghavan who initially dismissed giving him a role. He continued “I have snatched the film from him. I have hustled in the film. Hustling is very important for outsiders, I am still hustling. I had come to know that he is writing and making this film, so I showed up at his office and told him that I want to do this film and he said that I can’t see you in this film, which is just what Anubhav Sinha told me for Article 15.”

He also recalled auditioning for Anubhav Sinha for the role in Article 15. He argued that people in Bollywood look down on auditioning, however, ‘in the West’ the biggest of actors have to audition for a role. He concluded, “If you have confidence in your craft then why can’t you give an audition?” talking about Andhadhun, he added that director Sriram ‘secretly auditioned’ him and he went with it. 

He didn’t tell us that it is a dark comedy: Ayushmann Khurrana on being unaware of Andhadhun’s plot 

In the same conversation, the Vicky Donor actor revealed that Tabu and him were not in the know of the film’s genre of dark comedy. He said, “We also didn’t know that Andhadhun is going to be a funny film. Tabu and I were very serious, he didn’t tell us that it was a dark comedy.” He remembered shooting the entire movie under the assumption that it was a murder mystery with no comedy elements. 

Ayushmann added that it was only when the film was on edit he realised that people were laughing at the scenes. He said, “People were then laughing when the film was on edit, I didn’t understand why they were laughing. Because after going through that journey, you feel you have made a very serious film. There is a shock value, and because of that shock value people are laughing. Like, I am going inside the loo to pee and there is a guy standing there with a gun and people are laughing! I was like what’s there to laugh?” Andhadhun minted more than ₹100 crore at the domestic box office and did exceptionally well overseas as well. The film is available to stream on Netflix and Jio Cinema.