Ayushmann Khurrana on doing An Action Hero: ‘A genre-breaker for me’

Actor Ayushmann Khurrana says his upcoming feature An Action Hero is different from his “staple genre of social-comedy” and he hopes audience accepts him in this new space. Billed as a slick actioner with an offbeat satirical sense of humour, the film follows an art’s journey both in front and behind the lens. Khurrana plays Manav, an action hero, who runs for his life as Bhura Solanki (Jaideep Ahlawat) wants to avenge the mysterious death of his brother.
The actor, known for films like Shubh Mangal Saavdhan, Badhaai Ho, and Dream Girl, said An Action Hero is possibly his first film without a social message. “It is a genre breaker for me. It is different from my staple genre of social-comedy and there is no message in it. There is pure thrill. It is a roller coaster ride,” the actor told reporters on Thursday night.

“This film is about an extraordinary man in an ordinary situation. The emotion of revenge is an ordinary thing but if a superstar happens to be in that ordinary situation, how does he deal with it, is what the story is about,” Khurrana added.
Pataal Lok star Ahlawat said he loved the script of An Action Hero. “You will not be able to say who is a hero or villain. Everyone has their own reason to do things. I never thought of the character as a villain because he has strong reasons behind Ayushmann,” he added.
The film is directed Anirudh Iyer, who previously served as an assant director on Aanand L Rai’s Tanu Weds Manu Returns and Zero. Neeraj Yadav has penned the screenplay. Iyer said the team did not approach An Action Hero just as an actioner as the story has many layers. “It (film) is a lot more than an action film. There is action, thriller, humour. The situation is such that he (Khurrana) ends up doing action,” the director said.
Rai, who is producing the film via his Colour Yellow Production, said the film looks at the conflict between two strong men. “When the script was ready, we realised it is just not an action film, so we thought we should first ask Ayushmann as he likes different kinds of subjects. For the other role, we chased Jaideep till the time he did not give us dates,” Rai said.

Produced Colour Yellow Production and Bhushan Kumar and Krishan Kumar’s T-Series, An Action Hero is set to release in theatres on December 2.

Khurrana said the film is topical as it talks about the volatile nature of the entertainment business and life. “The story will be relatable for the industry, media and for the audience too. The fickle nature of the industry and the life… Like if you are at the top how people treat you and if you are at a low phase then how do people treat you, how does media react to it,” the actor said.
He also addressed reports of Akshay Kumar’s guest appearance in An Action Hero. “There are few points in our film that we don’t want to reveal, but whoever we collaborate with, it will be a fun one,” Khurrana said.