--- title: Ayushmann Khuarrana on How Films Can Bring India Together description: Ayushmann Khurrana has made a name for himself as a Bollywood star who takes on socially conscious roles that are also big hits across India. canonical: https://time.com/collections/time-100-talks/5853628/ayushmann-khuarrana-time100talks/ article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2020-06-17T09:44:34.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-02T23:39:40.776Z article:section: World og:title: Ayushmann Khurrana: Taking on Controversial Subjects in Film Can Help Bring India Together og:description: 'Cinema is a great tool in our country and it could be used in the right way' og:url: https://time.com/collections/time-100-talks/5853628/ayushmann-khuarrana-time100talks/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt10a91fa4fa944c4d/698a0f5fb3fce334b00c6d8d/Ayushmann-Khurrana-time-100-talks.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Ayushmann Khurrana: Taking on Controversial Subjects in Film Can Help Bring India Together og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Ayushmann Khurrana: Taking on Controversial Subjects in Film Can Help Bring India Together twitter:description: 'Cinema is a great tool in our country and it could be used in the right way' twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt10a91fa4fa944c4d/698a0f5fb3fce334b00c6d8d/Ayushmann-Khurrana-time-100-talks.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Jun 17, 2020 # Bollywood Actor Ayushmann Khurrana: Taking on Controversial Subjects in Film Can Help Bring India Together by [Mélissa Godin](https://time.com/author/melissa-godin/) ## Mélissa Godin  Ayushmann Khurrana spoke about spotlighting under-told stories the TIME100 Talks event on Wednesday, June 17, 2020. Ayushmann Khurrana spoke about spotlighting under-told stories the TIME100 Talks event on Wednesday, June 17, 2020.TIME Ayushmann Khurrana has made a name for himself as the rare [Bollywood star](https://time.com/5534273/india-modi-gandhi-movies-election-bollywood/) who takes on socially conscious roles that are also big commercial hits across India. His breakthrough film in 2012, _Vicky Donor_, cast him as a sperm donor and dealt with infertility. Earlier this year, he became the first mainstream Bollywood actor to play a gay man in a leading role in _Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan_ (Extra Special Wedding)—a comedy about a same-sex wedding in a small town. Khurrana said at the TIME100 Talks event Wednesday that he believes playing unconventional roles can be help bring about progressive change and unite India, which has struggled with social and religious divides, particularly in[ recent months](https://time.com/5794354/delhi-riots-muslims-india/). The country’s 1.3 billion people belong to a variety of religions, with 22 languages recognized in the Constitution and hundreds more indigenous languages. Some two-thirds of the country live in rural areas. “We have no dearth of taboo subjects or social issues in a country and that provides a lot of fodder for great cinema,”he said. Wednesday’s event also featured [AI pioneer Kai-Fu Lee](https://time.com/5851734/kai-fu-lee-ai-us-catching-up-to-china/), tennis star [Naomi Osaka](https://time.com/5851730/naomi-osaka-speaks-out-sports-justice/), former U.N. Secretary General [Ban Ki-moon](https://time.com/5851263/north-korea-de-facto-nuclear-state-ban-ki-moon/), and a performance by K-pop group [Monsta X](https://time.com/5851736/monsta-x-black-lives-matter-time100-talks/). The 35-year-old star said it’s not enough to make meaningful films for critics and art-house theaters. “It’s just like preaching to the converted,” he said. Instead, he would rather “show it in a very engaging and an entertaining way so that it reaches the grassroot level.” * _This article is part of_ [#TIME100Talks: Finding Hope](https://time.com/collection/time-100-talks/)_, a special series featuring leaders across different fields encouraging action toward a better world. Want more?_ [_Sign up_](https://cloud.newsletters.time.com/TIME-Talks-opt-in/?source=article-t100-footer) _for access to more virtual events, including live conversations with influential newsmakers._ Last year, Khurrana starred in _Article 15,_ a film allegedly inspired by the [2014 gang rape allegations](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/01/india-three-confess-gang-rape-murder-girls) in Badaun district. Khurrana played a police officer tackling racism and the dismissal of caste-based crimes in rural India. The actor recognizes that telling stories about discrimination and representing marginalized people—as he did when playing a gay man—”comes with a great sense of responsibility.” Tackling hard social issues doesn’t necessarily mean having “dwell in the darkness” of society, Khurrana said. Instead, he believes it’s important for films to show not just what society is right now, but “what society can become.” From pollution to climate change, Khurrana believes Bollywood should use cinema as a vehicle for tackling difficult subjects. Beyond cinema, Khurrana is using his platform in India to advocate for social causes. During the pandemic, he has written poems of gratitude for frontline workers. On June 14, Khurrana took to social media to mourn the loss of his friend and fellow actor [Sushant Singh Rajput who died by suicide](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-53047596) on June 14. “We don’t take mental health seriously,” Khurrana said about India, which has one of the [highest suicide rates](https://www.who.int/mental%5Fhealth/prevention/suicide/suicideprevent/en/) in the region. “We need to stay connected. That’s a basic human need.” **_If you or someone you know may be contemplating suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or text HOME to 741741 to reach the Crisis Text Line. In emergencies, call 911, or seek care from a local hospital or mental health provider._** ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/time-100-talks/5853628/ayushmann-khuarrana-time100talks/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/time-100-talks/5853628/ayushmann-khuarrana-time100talks/"},"headline":"Ayushmann Khurrana: Taking on Controversial Subjects in Film Can Help Bring India Together","datePublished":"2020-06-17T09:44:34.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-02T23:39:40.776Z","description":"Ayushmann Khurrana has made a name for himself as a Bollywood star who takes on socially conscious roles that are also big hits across India.","url":"https://time.com/collections/time-100-talks/5853628/ayushmann-khuarrana-time100talks/","keywords":["TIME100 Talks","video","overnight","Londontime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt10a91fa4fa944c4d/698a0f5fb3fce334b00c6d8d/Ayushmann-Khurrana-time-100-talks.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Mélissa Godin","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/melissa-godin/"}],"creator":"Mélissa Godin","articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt10a91fa4fa944c4d/698a0f5fb3fce334b00c6d8d/Ayushmann-Khurrana-time-100-talks.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-100-talks/","name":"TIME100 Talks"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/time-100-talks/5853628/ayushmann-khuarrana-time100talks/","name":"Ayushmann Khurrana: Taking on Controversial Subjects in Film Can Help Bring India Together"}}]}] ```