Ayushmann Khurrana recalls his college days on World Theatre Day, says, "Street theatre set my foundation to become a fearless performer"

Ayushman Khurana, who is now known as the most distinct actor of Bollywood was once just a street play boy. Yes! During his undergraduate years, Ayushmann did serious theatre for five years and has also performed in various plays at Shimla's Gaiety Theatre. He was also a founding member of the DAV College theatre companies Aaghaaz and Manchtantra, both of which are still active in Chandigarh.

On World Theatre Day, Ayushmann revealed that his acting career began with street theatre, which gave him the confidence to believe that he could entertain others with his abilities.

The Bareilly Ki Barfi (2017) actor stated, “My tryst with acting started with street theatre and it made me hugely confident about the fact that I could entertain people with my skills. Street theatre actually set my foundation to become a fearless performer. I became not afraid to take risks and I’m hugely grateful for this because it has shaped who I have become today.”

He continued,“Theatre, to me, can be introspective, critical about society and what we are becoming and also serve as a gateway to fantasise about a world that doesn’t exist. I have learnt so much from theatre because it challenges you to push your boundaries so that you can entertain and engage with audiences in a much deeper and interactive manner. I have taken my learnings from doing theatre and tried to emulate them for my on-screen performances and choice of scripts.”

Theatre, according to Ayushmann, taught him to let go of his inhibitions, as evidenced by his choice of characters. In Vicky Donor (2012), he played a sperm donor, a man with erectile dysfuction in Shubh Mangal Savdhaan (2017), a gay in Shubh Mangal Zyada Savdhaan (2020), and in Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui (2021), he highlighted the need for transgender inclusion in India.