Zee ka damaad ban gaya hoon main,” Aparshakti Khurana quips and guffaws when t2 reminds him of the last conversation we had during the release of Berlin, the dark spy thriller which, he points out, was also on the same OTT platform. Within three days of the interview, the younger of the multi-talented Khurana brothers (Ayushmann being three years older) would be hosting the Zee Cine Awards. And on March 6, his latest film, Jab Khuli Kitaab, would bring him to the small screen as part of a stellar cast alongside Pankaj Kapur and Dimple Kapadia.

Where and when did you shoot Jab Khuli Kitaab?

We shot it a couple of years ago. The story is set in Almora but we shot it in Ranikhet, Uttarakhand. Bahut khubsoorat jagah hai, ek innocent vibe hai. In an age when you talk of air quality, the place had really clean air. It was an Army cantonment area, where I spent time with some officers on our off days. Saurabh Shukla sir (director) had created a team in which members would gel with and spend time with each other. Kudos to the entire team of Zee5, Applause Entertainment and Naren (Kumar), all the three producers who have put this together. What has come about is a family entertainer.

Jab Khuli Kitaab had premiered at the 2024 International Film Festival of India in Goa. What is the film about?

The film is on an old couple who has done everything in life perfectly and reached retirement phase. That’s the time when a husband and a wife need each other the most, to look out for each other, after the early years of a marriage that are spent in earning a living and raising a family. Yet that’s when they want to get a divorce. Bahut atrangi, hasaanewali, rulaanewali film hai jo aap ko mazaa aayega dekh kar. Between the feuding Pankaj Kapur and Dimple Kapadia, there is a lawyer who deals with them in a quirky way, which is me.

A film on the nuances of marital relationship is perhaps better-suited for home viewing than a theatrical release. But was that the initial plan?

The initial plan was always coming out on OTT and Zee5 has been a part of the journey in such a beautiful way. There is a very specific bracket of films that you now want to see in the movie hall — big-ticket films like Stree or Dhurandhar. Having said that, OTT ne ek bahut khubsoorat window di hai audience ko to sit together and watch films at home, and Jab Khuli Kitaab really fits the bill jahan puri family saath baith ke film dekh sakey.

You don’t have as meaty a role here as you had in Berlin, for example. What made you want to do it?

It is the beautiful and very unusual world which Saurabh Sukla has created. There is pure organic storytelling here. Apart from that, it goes without saying that if you are getting a chance to work with actors like Pankaj Kapur and Dimple Kapadia, who would say ‘no’? And I think it’s really a box ticked for me. We grew up watching Pankaj Kapur sir act. I watched Phatichar back to back on Doordarshan. It was such a treat to work with him.

Even in limited screen time, your character has got such a well-rounded treatment — slight melancholy, a hint of unfulfilled romance, a bit of quirky humour in the scenes where the exasperated lawyer tries to reason with an old man...

When you talk about melancholy, I think life ki kuchh situations aisi aa jaati hai characters ke beech mein that you will feel that. Having said that, jo light humour hai uska, that’s something which really attracted me. Apart from that, I feel har tarike ki film karna important hai, har tarike ki film banna important hai. Otherwise, as an artiste, aap ki jeet nahin ho paati. That’s how my upbringing has been as an artiste. I want to do all kinds of films, all kinds of roles with all kinds of people, on all kinds of platforms, and that is when my journey as an artiste would be complete. I take each day on merit and say ‘yes’ to a film if I like the narration.

Saurabh Shukla himself is an acclaimed actor. Did it feel like it was an actor directing?

I want to first applaud him that in a period when he is so busy as an actor — he was doing Jolly LLB3, a film with Anil Kapoor (Subedaar), which releases now, so many things he keeps on doing... for such a busy and heavily paid actor to take out a year to write and direct a film takes both guts and effort. Making a film is a tedious process. He kept aside the acting and the monies and all of it, and made time for something which he really wanted to bring to the world. Secondly, the kind of world he has created and how freely he directs everybody, is beautiful to see. Woh apni acting skills doosre pe thopne ki koshish nahin karte. The trust he has shown in his casting, he goes with it on each day of the shoot.

Any news of the release of Badtameez Gill?

We will be releasing it at the end of the year, touchwood. It is the story of a dysfunctional Punjabi family. I think most Asian families are dysfunctional (laughs). Dekh ke mazaa aayega aapko ki Papa-Mumma Paresh Rawal, Sheeba Chaddha, aur bhai-behen Vaani Kapoor and Aparshakti Khurana kaise aapas mein ladte, jhagadrte, sambhalte hai.

You are about to debut in the Tamil film industry.

I’ve already shot the film. It’s called Root, and I think it’s something very, very special, because for a Hindi-speaking Punjabi boy to pick up dialects of Haryana or MP is one thing. I had even learnt sign language for Berlin. But doing something in Tamil was really difficult. But touchwood, it all got delivered in the time frame we wanted to deliver it in. And currently, I’m dubbing for the film.

What made you take up work in a language as difficult as Tamil?

An artiste really craves for challenges. I’ve been very lucky that I have got to do things that I wanted in life. It was important to go and be a part of another culture, another industry, another way of storytelling. Everything is different there. And one thing which I’ve admired on that set is how everybody is treated equally. It’s beautiful to see that.

You recorded a song, Ikvari, with Ayushmann 10 years ago. Is there any other project that the two multi-talented brothers are planning together?

Ayush bhaiya and I have taken multiple narrations together. Ek film hai jo lag raha hai ki close hone waali hai. But having said that, we have discussed seven-eight films but there has been nothing that made us feel that we brothers should come together. We both have had a beautiful journey so far in the city, and for us to come together, it has to be something extremely special. So looking forward to do something special very soon.

Would you say that people are too taken up in this world of sequels to think of original projects?

Any story that may entice the audience can be told. When people come to see a film, I don’t think they care whether it is a sequel as long as they enjoy themselves. It’s just a phase.

Looking forward to seeing you as a villain in Gun Maaster G9.

Thank you. That’s something extremely special. It’s going to be my first action film. I’m already shooting for it.

Hosting and acting apart, you sing as well. Your song with Tulsi Kumar, Nikki Nikki gal, has just come out.

The response is absolutely fantastic. And I’m very happy that between acting, singing and hosting award shows, I am keeping myself busy.

Before focusing on acting, you used to be a keen cricketer, captaining the Haryana under-19 team. What did you think of the World Cup?

I followed the World Cup. Not only the World Cup, but I also follow domestic cricket and the Indian women’s team, which is right now touring Australia. I love the journey Harman (Harmanpreet Kaur), Smriti (Mandhana), Jemima (Rodrigues) and Renuka (Singh), all of them, have set out on.