Actor Ayushmann Khurrana believes stardom is no longer an “exclusive club” and that a film’s script and authenticity are more important to its theatrical success in an entertainment landscape where audiences have access to multiple stars across different platforms.

Speaking at the session ‘Cinema at Crossroads-The Rules of the Big Screen’ on day one of FICCI FRAMES, the actor said the definition of stardom has changed with the emergence of influencers and YouTubers, who have created their own audience base, a PTI report from Mumbai yesterday stated.

“We are dwelling in multiple universes, where there are multiple worlds of entertainment and there are multiple stars of each world, be it influencers, or YouTubers, etc. 

“There are certain stars who are big and you probably don’t know about them and there are certain people who know about them,” Khurrana said, adding stardom was now relative and no longer an “exclusive club”.

Khurrana said he had always believed that “the story is the superstar” and that his upcoming spy comedy ‘Udta Teer’ marked a return to his “core” of authenticity. 

He also cited small-budget films such as ‘Hanuman Ansh’ and ‘Obsession’ as examples of movies that can connect with audiences without relying on scale.

Filmmaker Sriram Raghavan, who directed Khurrana in ‘Andhadhun’, was of the opinion that theatrical success depended more on a film’s connection with audiences than its scale. 

He recalled the unexpected success of the 2018 thriller in China, saying some films have a unique quality that audiences respond to across markets.

Denzil Dias, VP and Managing Director, India Theatrical at Warner Bros Discovery, said the theatrical business needed to give audiences stronger reasons to leave home for cinema.