In this interview, Aayush talks about the success of ‘Antim’ and what it means to his career, the expectations and challenge of sharing screen space with Salman Khan, and the experience of working with a veteran director like Mahesh Manjrekar.
From serving as a backstage dancer to Ranbir Kapoor in ‘Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani’ to working as an assistant on ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ to playing Salman Khan’s nemesis in ‘Antim: The Final Truth,’ which has become the year’s second highest grosser at the box-office, Aayush Sharma has come a long way. But, watching Salman Khan promote ‘Yuvvraaj’ at a mall in Delhi as a school student still remains one of his most cherished memories. Aayush, who made his film debut in the 2018 film ‘Loveyatri,’ comes from a family of political heavyweights hailing from Himachal Pradesh, but acting is his first love. In 2014, Aayush married Arpita, the younger sister of Salman Khan. The couple has two children, son Ahil and daughter Ayat Sharma.
In this interview, Aayush talks about the success of ‘Antim’ and what it means to his career, the expectations and challenge of sharing the screen space with Salman Khan, and the experience of working with a veteran director like Mahesh Manjrekar.
Excerpts
Q. With ‘Antim’ you competed with Milap Zaveri’s ‘Satyamev Jayate’ franchise. Did you feel the pressure of the box office? What were your first thoughts on competing with John Abraham at the box office?
A. To be honest, I don’t have a box-office. I am very new to the industry. So, as far as things like the box-office are concerned, I would leave that to Salman (Khan) bhai and John (Abraham) sir. They are the big stars. They are the people who play for box office. So, I never got worried about it. My only concern was to get my work out there. I think when you are more established as a star that’s when these concerns come into play. I did ‘Antim’ only because I wanted to be accepted by the audience. The biggest important thing for an actor at the beginning is to have acceptance. If there is acceptance, there is box office. If there is no acceptance but there is box-office then that doesn’t give you the longevity of a career. So, I wasn’t worried about the clash. I was actually very excited. That next time maybe even John sir and Milap (Zaveri) sir will remember me when they meet me (chuckles). The way I look at it, the success of ‘Antim’ really needs to be attributed to Salman bhai’s stellar presence. The way I see it, my true test will really be in my next film.
Q. Now that ‘Antim’ has become the 2nd highest grosser of 2021, how does it make you feel as an actor, especially after the failure of your first film ‘Loveyatri’? Also, how do you look at your transition from ‘Loveyatri’ to ‘Antim’?
A. To tell you the truth, this transformation is my reaction to ‘Loveyatri’. The film got a mixed response. And you have to be honest about it. What happens is that most of the times when you put your heart and soul into something and it doesn’t get the response that you were hoping for then you start thinking that maybe it’s something against you. But that really is not the truth. After ‘Loveyatri,’ I realized that actually critics are my best friend. Because the more you listen to them, you will actually be better in your craft. You will know what didn’t work and what needs to be worked upon.
Some people told me that the film was not great. But, first and foremost, I had to accept that there’s a problem with me. I had to get better in what I do. A lot of the times people think that you have this great platform you have a great support system, but that support system can only support you till the time you are putting into in your best, day in and day out. And so after ‘Loveyatri,’ I knew that I really had to work on myself. Because, keeping all the family relationships aside, it is any actor’s dream to get a platform with Salman Khan and to be directed by Mahesh Manjrekar. So as an actor if I am presented with such an opportunity then I must be able to raise my game.
Q. When you said that you had to work on yourself, do you mean the hours spent in the gym needed to gain the muscle in order to match the cop character essayed by Salman Khan?
A. Well, frankly, it was a lot more than just the physical transformation. Yes, it helps you look more believable during the acting sequences as part of the cinematic world of the film. But in order to play the character of Rahulya with conviction and self-belief I really had to change my very mindset. As it was important for me to understand the character’s drive and where he’s coming from. What‘s the reason behind what he does? My father in law gave me a very good advice when he heard about the film. He told me: “Don’t play it like a villain.” And that was something that really helped me because somewhere down the line I just told myself that nobody’s born with it. It’s really all about the experiences that they go through, the circumstances they are subjected to, what happens to them and what they lose when they tip over to the other side and lose their moral compass by the end of it.
Q. What was it like to share the screen space with Salman Khan?
A. I initially didn’t think I deserved to be a part of this film. When the story was narrated to me and I learnt that Salman bhai is in the film I felt I would not be able to add any value to this. And I think as an actor you somewhere feel that there will be a lot of pressure on you. Firstly, it’s a grey character which I hadn’t done before. And, I also had Salman bhai in front of me who is a megastar. So, that was the biggest pressure that I had. But I think that pressure was something Mahesh (Manjrekar) sir helped me in handling very well. I genuinely believe that if there is any praise that this character is getting, it is because of confidence that Mahesh sir and Salman bhai gave me. I remember when I was very worked up on the fact that I will face Salman bhai on screen, he said I shouldn’t try to compete with him and instead should just focus on my character. And it was this advice that did the trick.
Q. You said Mahesh Manjrekar helped you in dealing with the pressure. What kind of interactions did you have with him on the sets?
A. Well, to begin with, Mahesh sir gave me a very good analogy. He said nobody expects an amateur boxer to take down a professional boxer. The fact alone that an amateur boxer is entering the ring with a professional boxer is a major triumph for him. That Salman bhai is a megastar and people love him for what he is. That I will be getting a big mass reach thanks to his presence and so I should just concentrate on getting my part right and basically justify my presence.
Then, as part of the preparation, Mahesh sir first made me undo everything I knew. He said forget what you think about acting. There’s no word like that. People think acting is something but it is nothing. As first I got very confused. So he explained it to me that when you are having a conversation it’s actually a scene wherein everyone is reacting to one another. The problem is that when you think you want to act you end up putting on an effort to act. He told me that the key is to deliver the lines like the way you want to say it. If you feel it, you say it. That’s it. He asked me to stay on the set and not go back to home for two months so that I stay in the world of the movie. So I was Rahulya 24/7. As an actor when you surrender to your director’s vision. It’s really the most beautiful thing.
Q. What’s your next project after Antim?
A. As of now there’s nothing lined up. Like I said, I am just learning. ‘Antim’ was a very crucial film for me. Now, I really want to sit down and hold tight and just want to concentrate on the next good script that I want to be a part of. When I finished shooting for Antim, I learned a lot and I also I enjoyed doing it very much. I just want to choose scripts and do parts that I can do full justice as an actor.