With more actors looking beyond Hindi cinema and actively exploring regional industries, the idea of language as a boundary is steadily dissolving. For Aparshakti Khurana, that shift isn’t a calculated move but a natural progression. “I would like to believe that the story organically pulled me in,” he says, adding, “it’s really important to cross boundaries in terms of languages, especially when regional cinema has become so relevant in our country. The kind of paradigm shift we’ve seen, with Hindi-speaking audiences jumping onto Telugu and Kannada films, it’s amazing to witness that growth.”
For the actor, the move is as much about instinct as it is about evolution. “As an actor, I only wanted to do something different from what I’ve done so far and learn a new craft, which, in this case, is a new language.”
That search for something new brought him to Roots, his Tamil debut, as it pushed him into unfamiliar territory physically. “In terms of performance, it wasn’t that different but I had to operate a little differently in terms of action. I haven’t really done too much action in Hindi films, so that was the only shifting of gears in my craft.”
Adjusting to a new industry, he believes, is less about difference and more about adaptability. “It’s not only about film industries or languages, it’s a very basic trait. When in Rome, do as the Romans do,” he says. What stood out most to him on the sets of Roots was the working culture. “One major difference I saw in the Tamil industry was that everybody is treated so equally. It brings a beautiful decorum on set… in Tamil film industry, it feels sacrosanct.”
Importantly, this isn’t a one-off exploration. “It’s definitely not a one-off activity for me, I hope it’s not,” concludes Aparshakti who was last seen in Jab Khulli Kitaab, revealing that he’s already in conversations across industries.
