India is a 'homophobic' country: Ayushmann Khurrana on Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui failing to do well commercially

Bollywood star Ayushmann Khurrana has said that his film Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui (2021), directed by Abhishek Kapoor, failed to do well commercially because India is a “homophobic” country. The film revolves around a hyper-masculine gym trainer who falls in love with a transgender girl, played by Vaani Kapoor. It did not perform well at the ticket window even though it received positive reviews from across the board.

“In fact, my last three films, including an LGBTQ film (Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui), really don’t do well commercially because, unfortunately, our country is homophobic. Then there was Anek (2022), a docudrama that was very niche in terms of the tone of the film. Doctor G (2022) was an A-rated film, and given the kind of certification it got, the film did decently well in theatres. For a while, that was my learning for making a film,” Khurrana said during an interview.

He, however, added that the dismal performance of his past few films is not going to deter him from taking more risks while choosing his scripts. “If I stop taking risks, I will be conventional. I have always been unconventional, and I make those choices. I will be taking them in the future as well, regardless of success or failure," he said.

Ayushmann Khurrana is presently busy promoting his next film, An Action Hero. The much-awaited film is directed by debutant filmmaker Anirudh Iyer, who previously worked as an assistant on Aanand L Rai's Tanu Weds Manu Returns (2015) and Zero (2018). The film also stars critically acclaimed actor Jaideep Ahlawat in addition to Khurrana.

An Action Hero is scheduled to arrive in cinemas on December 2.

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