Ayushmann Khurrana: I am a linguist. I like learning new languages

Ayushmann Khurrana has played various characters on screen such as a quintessential boy from Haridwar (Dum Laga Ke Haisha; 2015), a Maharashtrian boy (Hawaizaada; 2015) and now a Bengali in an upcoming movie. Ask him if it’s his Indian appeal that has earned him such roles, and he says, “I think it is because of my theatre background. We’d travel across the nation doing street plays and interact with people belonging to different backgrounds.”

Apparently, the actor has a penchant for languages. “I am a linguist. I like learning new languages and have a knack for it. I play a Bengali in my next film. So now, I can understand Bengali completely,” says Ayushmann, who is well versed in Marathi too.

“It has been eight years in Mumbai; I can understand the language. It’s because my Sanskrit — the root language for every Indian language — is very strong. So, it really helps me. In fact, my Hindi is stronger than Punjabi,” says the actor whose childhood days at home were full of “references of Harivansh Rai Bachchan and Munshi Premchand”.

Not many know that the actor has a Burma connect, and knows a bit of Burmese too. “My mum is half Burmese and she would recite Burmese poems when we were kids. I cannot speak Burmese well but I know Burmese nursery rhymes. Though it is not the most widely spoken language in the world, it is quaint for sure,” says the actor.

The actor will next be seen in Shubh Mangal Saavdhan, Meri Pyari Bindu, and Bareilly Ki Barfi.