More than Madan Kumar in ‘Jubilee’, Binod Das was difficult to crack: Aparshakti Khurana
It had been a long time since Aparshakti Khurana had auditioned for a film. But then, when Vikramaditya Motwane asked him to do so, he readily agreed. Today, the actor is all smiles as praise continues to pour in for essaying Madan Kumar, a superstar of Hindi cinema in the 1950s, in Motwane’s visually stunning period series ‘Jubilee’.
“Since the time you dream of becoming an actor, the preparations for characters like Madan Kumar start. I remember when I used to dream of entering the showbiz world, I practiced the art of giving autographs. So, for me, it was the character of Binod Das that was difficult to crack. As a Punjabi boy hailing from Chandigarh, I am always high on energy. The world of Binod Das is different. He is anything but me, so it was a difficult bridge to cross. But the writing had the magic of that era, which made the job of the actors easy,” said Aparshakti, whose dad and grandfather are huge fans of Dev Anand and Raj Kapoor.
In 2016, Aparshakti made his big-screen debut with Aamir Khan’s ‘Dangal’. Since his debut, he was hailed for his comic timing and then went on to play the hero’s best friend in most films. Despite being a supporting actor in films like ‘Badrinath Ki Dulhania’, ‘Stree’, ‘Luka Chuppi’ or ‘Pati Patni Aur Woh’, he made his presence felt. Though it took him seven years to bag a series like ‘Jubilee’, which proved to be a game-changer for him, Aparshakti said he has no regrets about his journey so far. “I own every film of mine. I might have done slapstick comedy, too, but my comic timing has been talked about. Comedy gave me a lot of respect and I will always return to them,” said the younger brother of Ayushmann Khurana in Kolkata.
A compelling drama, ‘Jubilee’ pays homage to the magical era of the Bombay film industry in the 1940s and 1950s. In the series, Srikant Roy aka Prosenjit Chatterjee, introduces Binod Das to the big screen as Madan Kumar. For Aparshakti, working with Prosenjit, the matinee idol of Bengali cinema, was a bonus. “ ‘Jubilee’ pays tribute to all the makers, and technicians of the 1940s and 1950s and most of them hailed from Bengal. Bengal has always been a flagbearer of good cinema. If I get a chance to work with Bumba da (as Prosenjit is fondly known in the industry), I will grab it,” he said.
Being known as ‘the younger brother’ of a superstar (read Ayushmann) can be a little disheartening. But Aparshakti said that with time, the audiences have realised him as an actor and now relate to his screen names, be it Bittu in ‘Stree’ or Madan Kumar in ‘Jubilee’. “We have had a small-town middle-class upbringing. Whatever little I have achieved is through the blessing of my brother Ayushmann,” he said.
Soon, Aparshakti will be seen in ‘Stree 2’, where he will be seen alongside Rajkummar Rao and Shraddha Kapoor. The actor has huge respect for Rajkummar and said, “He inspires me the most, both personally and professionally. It was Raj who told me that a director like Vikramaditya Motwane could change my ‘comic’ image. Raj has made me a better actor and human being,” he said.
