Actor, singer, anchor, writer and RJ Ayushmann Khurrana is ecstatic. Dum Laga Ke Haisha is receiving praises from all over.. the simple, humble Ayushmann in a candid tete-a-tete tells how he was down and feeling low after the failure of 'Hawaizaada' and how Aditya Chopra pumped him up and went ahead with the release of DLKH just after Hawaizaada, how DLKH happened, the nostalgia, the influence of Basu Da, the inability of the small town youngsters to speak their mind and more..

Heartfelt congratulations

Thank you so much

How it feels

Ecstatic. Overwhelmed by the praises coming from all corners. Enjoying the moment.

What a turnaround from Hawaizaada rejection to such appreciation within one month.. when YRF announced the release on 27 February.. what was running into your mind..

I was down feeling very low.. but Aditya was confident.. he pumped me up and made me believe that in the end content will win. He said don't worry this will cheer you up in the end.. his confident and believe took me out from the negative shell created by Hawaizaada'.. the result is out and everyone can see.

How has the industry reacted to DLKH

Overwhelming.. from Arjun Kapoor, Varun Dhawan to David Sir.. everybody have loved the film and my work

Professionally how much it has helped, getting more offers

Yes going through some quite a few script reading sessions

What will be your criteria now for selecting a film

Same. Any role where I can fit in and which offers something for an actor.

How DLKH happened to you

After winning the Filmfare Award (best debut and best male playback singer) for Vicky Donor I was roped in by YRF. During the filming of Bewakoofiyaan' in 2014 the idea of DLKH was discussed. It was giving positive vibes and immediately after the hearing I was excited to do.

An unconventional co-star in Bhumi and unconventional movie coming from YRF stable. What made you excited?

Yes it isn,t a YRF rom com, no chiffon saris, no singing around the alps, metropolitan settings, the candy gloss, the grandeur, the bubble gum culture and all the things which get associated with a Yash Raj rom com. The idea of being simple, basic and true to your heart. The challenge of playing a character from the Hindi heartland – a young man devoid of any talent and his inability to speak his mind.. the nostalgia of the bygone era, I felt an instant connect with the world I know and have grown up. Its Circa 90's in the film – I was a school going kid at that time in my real life.. but the issues are relevant even today.. dowry, being a daughter, the inability of the youth in small towns to speak their mind, the cliché mindset all are still relevant and rightly portrayed in the film in a lighter and entertaining manner. In fact the choice of Bhumi for the female lead who is one up and extra' in all ways to my character Prem made my character more real and believable to the core.

The nostalgia, the bygone era, the simplistic feel, what preparations where done, elements of Basu Da's directorial debut the Agra based 1969 Sara Akash' where noticed

Bang On. Yes Basu Da's Sara Akash' was a reference point. Director Sharat Katariya asked me to refer to this film to get the nuances right. I have not seen the entire film but did refer to some portions for my role in the film.

How you got your Hindi diction right over here, how you worked on your Punjabi accent.

I have a slight Punjabi accent not much. It was a joint effort. Mahesh Sharma the guy who plays my friend in the film helped me out with the accent. We stayed in Haridwar and spend time with locals. The ambience of literature at home and my mythological theatre experience plus my Mom being M.A. in Hindi made it easier for me to work on my diction and get the right lingo in the film.

What nostalgia DLKH brings to you

Oh it's a deja vu.. A la Vicky Donor.. like DLKH Vicky Donor also picked up on word of mouth day by day and the collections just got better every day.

How you take success and failure

Failure is a lesson.. success is the motivation to continue the good work

Varun Dhawan congratulated you.. he is also 4-5 films old as you but he is a star kid.. how will you manage your space in this competition with your peer group.

It's was very overwhelming when Varun congratulated me.. in fact Varun s Badlapur' just got released a week earlier.. it proves that there is a space for all.. yes he belongs to a well known family from the industry but ultimately it's the work that counts. Look at Varun in Badlapur' he plays a non singing dancing hero and the audience had accepted it. In the same way I will strive for good work and hope the audience like it and appreciate it as well just like DLKH and Vicky Donor.

All the very best and wish you more Dum in your next 'Agra Ka Daabra'

Thanks and I reuniting with Soojit Sircar after 'Vicky Donor' and looking forward to this where I play a smart tourist guide in Agra

Sort of nostalgia.. Soojit, Uttar Pradesh again..

I love such deja vu's...