Before films, Ayushmann Khurrana had already lived several careers: reality-TV winner (MTV Roadies, 2004), radio jockey, and television anchor. That everyman fluency became his screen signature when he debuted as a cash-strapped sperm donor in Vicky Donor (2012). Rather than chase action-hero stardom, Khurrana built a one-of-a-kind niche playing ordinary middle-class men confronting taboos, from erectile dysfunction to premature balding to same-sex marriage.

The gamble paid off spectacularly with a run of back-to-back hits including Bareilly Ki Barfi, Badhaai Ho, and the Oscar-worthy black comedy Andhadhun, which won him the National Film Award for Best Actor. Time magazine named him among the world's 100 most influential people in 2020. Also a published poet and singer with several chart hits, he headlined the horror-comedy Thama (2025) in Maddock's supernatural universe.

Filmography Highlights

• Vicky Donor (2012) — Taboo-breaking debut as a sperm donor; Filmfare Best Male Debut.
• Dum Laga Ke Haisha (2015) — Tender small-town romance that revived his career.
• Bareilly Ki Barfi (2017) — Charming love-triangle comedy set in small-town UP.
• Andhadhun (2018) — A 'blind' pianist in a twisty thriller; National Award for Best Actor.
• Badhaai Ho (2018) — Sleeper blockbuster about a grown son whose mother becomes pregnant.
• Article 15 (2019) — Hard-hitting crime drama about caste violence.
• Bala (2019) — Comic hit about premature balding and self-acceptance.
• Thama (2025) — Vampire horror-comedy in the Stree universe.

Image: Wikimedia Commons. Part of the Top 50 Bollywood Celebrities series. Ranking inspired by popular industry listings; profiles are original editorial content.