When Ayushmann Khurrana Called Dharma Productions And Was Rejected: 'We Don't Work With Outsiders'

Ayushmann Khurrana’s journey to stardom is full of surprising stories! Starting out as a radio jockey before becoming a video jockey, he made his big Bollywood debut in 2012 with Vicky Donor, starring alongside then-newcomer Yami Gautam. But, did you know that during his early days in the industry, Ayushmann actually managed to get hold of Karan Johar’s landline number? Yes, but things didn’t go as planned! When he called KJo’s office, he was bluntly told that they don’t audition “outsiders.”

Ayushmann opened up on it on Koffee With Karan during Season 6, long before the nepotism debate hit Bollywood, revealing that he interviewed Karan Johar back in 2007 when he was a radio jockey. Despite the cold rejection, Ayushmann has always viewed Bollywood from an outsider’s lens, and today, look where he is — a certified Bollywood star.

The actor recalled asking Karan Johar for his contact details and expressed his desire to become an actor. Ayushmann shared that Karan gave him his landline number during the conversation. “You gave me a landline number. The next morning, when I called the number and asked to speak to Karan Johar, the person on the other line said, ‘We don’t audition outsiders and newcomers’ or something like that,” Ayushmann said on the show.

Ayushmann had narrated the funny incident in a chat with Niranjan Iyengar too. He had said, “I remember, I was hosting one radio show in one of the TV award shows. I was just hosting one segment and that also in a radio booth. So, all the actors were coming inside that booth and I was recording for the radio show. It was going live across the country. Karan was one of the celebs I was interviewing. I interviewed him, I was like, ‘sir, mujhe actor banna hai, mujhe aapka number chahiye’. And he gave me a landline number of Dharma Productions. So, next day, I called up Dharma Productions and said, ‘I am Ayushman Khurrana. I am a radio presenter and I want to be an actor. When can I audition?’ And they were like, ‘We only work with stars'”.

Ayushmann rose to fame after winning MTV Roadies Season 2 in 2004. He later appeared in shows like MTV Fully Faltoo Movies, Cheque De India, and Jaadoo Ek Baar. While his Bollywood debut in Vicky Donor was a hit, his next few films—Nautanki Saala, Bewakoofiyaan, and Hawaizaada—didn’t fare well at the box office.