Ayushmann Khurrana’s debut movie, Shoojit Sircar’s Vicky Donor, was a critical and commercial success. The movie did well at the box office despite its unfavourable subject matter—a sperm donor. The actor found his identity with a string of hit movies like Bareilly Ki Barfi, Shubh Mangal Savdhan, Andhadhun, Badhaai Ho, Article 15, and Dream Girl after experiencing some difficulty following the success of his initial performance.
Ayushmann Khurrana’s debut movie, Shoojit Sircar’s Vicky Donor, was a critical and commercial success. The movie did well at the box office despite its unfavourable subject matter—a sperm donor. The actor found his identity with a string of hit movies like Bareilly Ki Barfi, Shubh Mangal Savdhan, Andhadhun, Badhaai Ho, Article 15, and Dream Girl after experiencing some difficulty following the success of his initial performance.
According to seasoned industry analyst Taran Adarsh, this typically occurs when a performer consistently performs in the same genre of movies. But that’s not the case at all with Ayushmann Khurrana, he added. “His first film had a radically different plot from his second. Even his early movies are completely different in terms of their genre. The same can be said for his Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui, Anek, Doctor G, and An Action Hero.
Adarsh finds two reasons for Ayushmann’s change of fate. “Firstly, a big chunk of the audience that was following him has started liking those films on OTT. The subjects are all right. But more on the experimental side is suited more for OTT nowadays,” he said. “Also he has had four releases in a span of a year. I feel it should be controlled to two in a year. Four in a year can lead to fatigue. I remember Amitabh Bachchan used to have five or six films in a year and people were still hungry for more. But those days are gone. Today, less is more I guess.”
Atul Mohan, a industry observer, agrees that the OTT explosion has had an impact on Ayushmann’s movies. He does, however, believe that the pandemic was not the cause of the actor’s terrible patch. Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan, which performed poorly due to its topic, was the beginning, he claimed. “And after that, due to the lockdown, which lasted for months, people were exposed to various forms of content from all over the world” (on OTT). His Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui was likewise not a family-friendly topic immediately following the shutdown.
An Action Hero is cited as a key example of how Ayushmann’s films are allegedly suffering from inadequate advertising and promotion. According to Atul Mohan, the criteria set forth by the platforms have pushed producers to have a theatrical release even though they are aware that their picture would be better suited for OTT. So when a producer is aware that his movie won’t make much money at the box office, he only invests a small sum in its theatrical release, he explained.
Amod Mehra, a senior trade analyst, believes that the likelihood of success decreases the more one experiments. “He is trying his level best to not be branded in any slot. Like Amitabh Bachchan as the Angry Young Man and Akshay Kumar in comedy and action. But this is also a reason for failure. Chandigarh Kare Aashiquiwasn’t bad. But it had a different topic which was hard to digest and not for the family. But the film did exceptionally well on OTT. With Anek, I don’t think the director was sure on what he is making. So, some films go as a bouncer. That’s the reason why his films are not doing as well as they should.”
Ayushmann shouldn’t be blamed for the outcomes of his recent flicks, according to exhibitor Akshaye Rathi. “I don’t think it’s Ayushmann Khurrana’s films that are not working well. It could feature any actor. We have had an Ajay Devgn deliver Drishyam 2after Runway 34, which, despite the good reviews, didn’t do the kind of business all of us expected out of it,” he said.
The following project for Ayushmann is Dream Girl 2, the sequel to the Raaj Shaandilyaa-directed Dream Girl movie.