Aayush Sharma Interview: Can’t deny the support that comes from somebody as mammoth as Salman Khan

Ever since coming into being, Hindi cinema has witnessed the launch of many star-kids and kith and kin, but the kind of buzz that has been created around the debut of megastar Salman Khan’s brother-in-law Aayush Sharma is beyond compare. Sharma, who belongs to a well-known political family of Himachal Pradesh, plays protagonist Sushrut in the romcom titled LoveYatri, produced by Salman Khan under his production house, SKF. Just before the release of the much-hyped movie, our Eastern Eye correspondent, Mohnish Singh, catches up with the newcomer at Mehboob Studios in Mumbai and tries to find out more about how he bagged his debut role, Salman Khan’s role in his personal and professional life, and much more.

Are you excited for your debut film LoveYatri?

Oh yeah! It’s been a long cherished dream. I have been training for it for the past four years.

Did you always want to become an actor or acting happened by chance?

I was in Bombay finishing graduation, passing time and finding what I can do. I never thought I could be an actor. I never took myself seriously or the acting profession seriously because I didn’t have any roots into acting and I don’t know any actor or producer.

How were you introduced to the line of acting then?

I remember I was training at Gold’s Gym and that’s when Sohail Bhai met me and told me, ‘I have a film for you and I want you to be the hero of the film’. It was about five years back and that was the first time it clicked me that Sohail Khan is saying that I can be an actor. I must be having something in me. Obviously, that was a very naïve thought. Then, the conversation didn't really go forward. I changed my gym and I didn't get to meet him again. When I met Salman Bhai and he told me that you should be an actor, that's when I started seriously pursuing it as a career. I always had a love for movies, so I started training. The turning point was Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015) where I experienced filmmaking for the first time. That was my first introduction to the magic of movies and I wanted to be a part of this world and that is what gave me the seed to train.

What else were you planning to do if not acting?

Well, I was planning to open a restaurant in Mumbai. I am from Himachal Pradesh and for the longest time I was thinking that if I want to stay in Mumbai, the city I love, I thought I could open a restaurant.

Now that you are set to make your debut, how serious are you about this profession?

See, I don't really consider myself an actor yet. I call myself a student of acting. I have a long way to go, and hopefully, in 20 years, I have a successful career. Then, one day, I would like to talk about acting but for me right now my job is to entertain, my job is to make people smile, laugh and cry with me. That's my goal.

How did your family take the news of your new profession?

So my father was very apprehensive about it initially. He said, ‘We don't know anything about an actor's life’. Even growing up, as a child in school, I was never into extracurricular activities. I was never into the theatre. I was not a part of any dancing group. I was never a part of all these things. So, when he got to know I have chosen acting as a profession, he said, ‘Listen, we come from a political background, my audition happens after 5 years, your audition happens every Friday’. I told him to let me try. Let me give a shot in this. And now that they have seen my stuff in the camera, they are very happy and now they are very supportive.

You are being launched by your superstar brother-in-law Salman Khan, something which might spark the debate on nepotism once again. What do you have to say about it?

There are two different directions to it. First of all, there are a number of hardworking actors, there are people who really deserve the opportunity to go out there and get a platform, they, unfortunately, don't. They are struggling. I am lucky to get a platform, I am lucky to be where I am. There is obviously a sense of support that comes from somebody as mammoth as Salman Khan that I can't deny. So, all I can say is that I am lucky and thankful. Having said that, he could give me a platform, he can put me in front of the camera but once I am in front of the camera, the relationship is between me and the audience. The audience accepts me purely on the basis of my talent then accept m, if I am not talented and if they don't like what I am doing on the screen irrespective of whomsoever’s relative I am, they are not going to put me back on the screen, which is something the film industry has seen for ages.

Did not your family persuade you into joining politics?

I feel that politics is something that needs to come to me with time and age. Right now, I am too young and I am too inexperienced as well. Just because my family is from a political background doesn't necessarily makes me a good leader. It doesn't necessarily make me into a potential person people would like to vote. In politics, when people ask you do you want to bring about a change? Everybody will say yes. How? I don't have the answer to it. The day I do get an answer to it, I’ll join politics.

Did you get any other offers before LoveYatri?

There were a couple of offers from different production houses, but I wasn’t sure. When it comes to scripting, I was very particular about the fact that I wanted a script that I was very confident about, because good, bad or ugly, nobody can decide the fate of a film. Be the biggest producer, the biggest director, the biggest actor, nobody can. Though, if you are proud of the script that you started out with and your heart was happy being a part of this film, irrespective of whatever happens, you can always be proud. So, LoveYatri was a film that when I heard the narration I found it was a beautiful film, it’s a beautiful plot, a beautiful script. I wanted to be a part of it.

Are you satisfied with what you selected? No regrets?

I couldn’t have asked for a better launch. There are 8 songs in the film, Manish Malhotra’s costume, Vaibhavi Merchant’s choreography, Abhiraj Minawala’s direction, a great plot to work with. Music is working the way it’s working. I have got the best platform to actually come up with. I can’t ask for anything bigger.

LoveYatri is running in cinemas now.