If everyone starts playing the hero, then who will play the hero’s friend?” asks Aparshakti Khurana, during the promotion of his latest film Luka Chuppi. The actor, who has mostly played character roles, is happy that he is getting recognised for his work. “Once, someone told me at the airport that I make the hero’s friend look respectable. It made me feel so satisfied about my job. In fact, I stopped thinking whether I should do a certain film or character; if I have given respect to a certain character, I must have achieved something,” he says.
The respect for such characters also comes from the fact they add to the plot and are not just there for comic relief. “Writers and filmmakers are concentrating on making these characters substantial. It’s important to be relevant and work with relevant writers and stories,” says Aparshakti.
The audience’s perspective, on the other hand, hasn’t changed much. “There is a section of intelligent audience, who understands that there is not much of a difference between character actor and hero. But for the masses, it’s still the hero. Having said that, I am content with what I am getting,” he adds.
When asked how he picks his subjects and his roles, if the character needs to be central to the film or have substance, the actor says, “Post Dangal and Stree, the films that are being offered are in a better space, but I am not being able to connect with them. I am not being able to catch hold of characters that are having fun in the script. My aim is not to stand out. I look for characters which have some kind of quirkiness in them because I enjoy doing them.”
But is he worried about getting typecast as a comic actor? “I understand, what you are trying to say. Two things, I am seven films old and that number is enough to get me typecast. I personally believe there are either good or bad films. Good work in a good film will always be appreciated and never get typecast. Thankfully, I have been a part of some good projects,” says the actor, who has some interesting work lined up including Jabariya Jodi, Kanpuriye and Street Dancer.
Luka... directed by Laxman Utekar is a romantic comedy. It stars Kartik Aryan, Kriti Sanon, Pankaj Tripathi, Vinay Pathak, Atul Srivastava and others. Talking about his character in the film, which is releasing today, the actor says that his character helps Kartik and Kriti come out of tricky situations. “These two characters are in a live-in-relationship and there are bound to be some kind of problems. My character gives them suggestions on how to handle them.”
Not just the trailer, but the star cast is also creating a lot of buzz on social media, which Aparshakti says is the USP of the film. “We have been able to catch hold of people who have very different backgrounds of acting. We have never seen all these actors together on screen. In addition to that, all of us in our space have very good craft. Whenever I was shooting with them, it felt like three friends sitting and chatting,” he adds.
As the conversation moves to the theme of the film, live-in-relation and being secretive about one’s romantic life, the talented actor says, “Remember the ’90s song, Hum lakh chhupaye pyaar magar... There are certain things in life, like romance, which is fun when you do it in secret (chup chup ke). There’s a certain charm. We all have memories because back in the day when we were in college, we have been through similar situations and these memories stay with us forever. As far as live-in-relationships are concerned, it works for some people and it doesn’t for others. Having said that, if I would be given a choice to live with the person before marriage, I wouldn’t mind.”
