Aparshakti Khurana: I don't take my character home, never done that and I hope I don't | Exclusive

Aparshakti Khurana is going to be a fan favourite after becoming a revelation with Jubilee. The actor has made everyone go gaga over him, and this is his third successful stint after Dangal (2016) and Stree (2018). However, with the Vikramaditya Motwane series, Aparshakti showed that he cannot be put into a box and that he is here to stay. Just a couple of weeks after the release of the Prime Video offering, the actor spoke exclusively with OTTplay and didn't step back from talking about anything and everything about his career.

While talking about the infamous switch on and switch off of a character, Aparshakti revealed that he has never taken any of his characters home. The actor also shared that it's equally important for him to share a great equation with the cast and crew while working on a project.

Edited excerpts below:

It's been two weeks since the whole series has been released; how do you now look back at the experience of being a part of Jubilee?

It has become such a blessing that wherever I have gone in the past two weeks, people only address me as Madan Kumar. It's amazing that people have started calling me not Aparshakti but Madan Kumar. They called me Omkar when Dangal happened and Bittoo when Stree was released, so now it's Madan Kumar, and it feels very nice.

What has been your biggest takeaway from being a part of Jubilee?

The biggest takeaway from being a part of Jubilee is that you are in such a profession. This is not something that I have said, but this is also feedback that I've gotten from people. So it should not sound too much like I am praising my show. I mean, people have said that when people talk about filmmaking in our country or the history of films in our country, they go to Jubilee for that subject. So being a part of this show is a big tick on my resume. It's so beautiful that at such an early stage of my career, I've got to do this. The biggest takeaway at the same time is working with Vikramaditya Motwane.

You mentioned that it was Rajkummar Rao who said that you needed a Vikramaditya Motwane project to change the track of your career, which turned out to be true. So do you get a glimpse of how your career is shaping up now?

I had no idea that I'd be having this kind of career right now. I don't plan things; I really take one step at a time, and I'm very happy doing that. I mean, yes, it gives me a little bit of pressure when people tell me they are really excited to see what I do next. These choices are very difficult. I think there are so many talented actors in this industry, and the majority of them become successful only because of their choices.

I am really not kidding. I wake up in the morning every day and say two things to the universe: Give me the maturity to make better choices in life, and also give me the wisdom to take this success in the right stride and not really get on my head. I think it's really important to take all of it in the right spirit.

Let's rewind a bit and look at the process of choosing a project. You have been a part of the films since 2016, featured in supporting roles, got the tag of "hero's best friend," and also became an antagonist with Dhokhaa before Jubilee was released.

There are two or three things, ok? First of all, when talking about something like a Jubilee, a Dangal, or a Stree, you don't choose these projects; the projects choose you. I work on the gut feelings of my wife with that other person. It's a family, which is made for the next six months, a year, or maybe longer. So it matters to me that whatever personal equation I have with my co-actors, my director, and my producer, it matters to me. I'm so sorry. I mean, for me, the script is most important, but these are equally important. A lot of people might just think, "Pagal hai kya?" But yeah, that's how I function. For me, this give-and-take is not just about the camera on and we start performing. It is not that; it is not so mechanical that you just have to switch on a button and switch off that button. But you need to have that equation, that gives and takes, that love and respect off the camera as well. If I can give you a little example of Stree, I think people bought into that world and thought that Janna, Bittoo, and Vicky were best friends together because we were staying in a very humble guest house in Chanderi, and we used to enter the kitchen together. If a caretaker was not around to make tea for us, we would have done that for each other. So, it matters to me to know who these people are around me. I think that equation in real life does transform on camera. I think that just a very small town, Punjabi middle-class upbringing if I can put a logic to it.

How do you get out of the role? Is it easier for you to switch off now that you've ventured into a long format too?

I won't be able to answer if it was easy or difficult. I can say that I don't take my character home. I've never done that, and I hope I don't. I don't disrespect people who stay in that character for months to make it happen. But for me, I would like to believe that it's unfair to my parents, my family, my entire family, my wife, my daughter, my brother, my sister-in-law, my niece and nephew, and my team. You're always surrounded by the people you work with at your agency; they're all my family. I don't want to go and become Madan Kumar with them in that team meeting, which we had on a weekend where it was just a day before I was shooting for Jubilee. I just want to be a part of it and reason it out with them, and they can reason it out with me.