Not embarrassed to play sperm donor: Ayushmann Khurrana

New Delhi: Television presenter turned actor Ayushmann Khurrana, who is all set to make his debut with `Vicky Donor`, says he is proud to play a sperm donor in the film. Ayushmann, 27, said he approached his serious character in a realistic yet light-hearted way so that he could connect to the youth.

"Sperm donation is the central theme of the film but that doesn`t mean that we have made it sound like a serious issue. This is the reason why I am not at all embarrassed to play such a character because we have given the entire thing a light-hearted take. I seriously feel that `Vicky Donor` could turn out to be a national award winning film," Khurrana told said. The film will hit screens on April 20 alongside Vikram Bhatt`s erotic thriller ‘Hate Story’. Ayushmann is known for incorporating the fun element in his TV shows and said that being himself onscreen is something that he has learnt right from his stunt in `Roadies`. "My parents have thoroughly supported me despite such a unique subject being explored here in the film. They were okay with me when I had donated sperms during the Roadies show and that too on the national television. They are more than happy to see me on the big screen. People have changed their thoughts and thankfully there are no apprehensions or inhibitions about something as important and topical as sperm donation," he said. ‘Vicky Donor’ is directed by Shoojit Sircar and produced by actor John Abraham. Ayushmann said it wasn`t a small responsibility to star in his debut film as a protagonist. "Shoojit left me alone completely. He never gave me any specific instructions on the sets. It was up to me to actually go ahead and shift gears, unlearn a lot of things which I have learnt through small screen," he said. Apart from various camera facing techniques, the actor did not face any problem in portraying the character as his growing up years in Chandigarh helped him bring out his character. "Anchoring is a different ballgame altogether because there you have to talk to the camera. Here in the film, I had to actually ignore the camera. Thankfully, the character of Vicky is also very much me. I come from North and while playing Vicky, I kept four of my friends in mind. I also brought in some of my own traits from my growing up years in Chandigarh." PTI