Want to be known as actor, not hero: Aparshakti Khurrana

MUMBAI: Aparshakti Khurrana says he hopes that with his upcoming feature "Helmet", his journey in Hindi cinema will take a turn for the better. Khurrana has carved a niche with his comic timing in character roles in movies like "Dangal", "Stree", "Lukka Chuppi" and "Bala".

"Helmet", directed by Satram Ramani, marks the actor's first outing as the male lead. "People have now started resonating with the term actor more than the term hero. And I would like to keep it that in my life. Once the film releases ('Helmet') and if the audience, at all, accepts me in that space, then things might be a little different," Khurrana told PTI.

Billed as a quirky comedy, "Helmet" depicts the ground reality of the country wherein it is still inappropriate and awkward to talk about safe sex. The actor said that he feels great that people have appreciated his performances in light-hearted movies.

"Light-hearted parts always make me happy and they keep my energy going. I am happy to be doing comic parts. I believe that the audience has a stronger emotional connection with an actor who plays light-hearted parts than ones who play intense characters," he added.

However, the 32-year-old actor is open to the idea of experimenting with various roles, something that he tried with his last film, "Street Dancer 3D". "That was a different (role), I made people cry. Besides, I'm reading a couple of scripts that are different from the comic parts that I play," he added.

Khurrana said that he doesn't believe an actor can get slotted in a particular role as long as they are doing relevant work. "It's all about doing good work. If you do bad work, you'll get stereotyped. If you create a relevant world for the audience, people will come to watch you," he said.

Co-produced by Sony Pictures Networks Productions and actor Dino Morea, the film also features Pranutan Bahl, Abhishek Banerjee, among others.