Tusharr Khanna opensher heart about his journey so far, the kind of work he seeks and life as an actor in this candid chat with Analita Seth. An actor with dreams unlimited, Tusharr is ready for the world to see what he has to offer.

Handsome hunk Tusharr Khanna was born in Amritsar. Since his father had a transferable job, he ended up changing schools a lot. From Amritsar, the family moved to Delhi and then to Noida and hence he found it difficult to make friends and sustain friendships. That led to him to have imaginary friends. Films and comics fuelled his hyperactive imagination. As he grew older, he realised that he can live all these characters and more if he became an actor. Ever since he had that epiphany, he devoted his energies into becoming an actor. “I did a filmmaking course from Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication in Pune and I’ve been involved with theatre all my life. I’ve been on stage since the age of three. So the acting bug had bitten me quite early,” he smiles. I’ve been on stage since the age of three. So the acting bug had bitten me quite early,” he smiles. 

Like many other outsiders keen for a break on the silver screen, Tusharr too started as a model. His first assignment was a TVC for Cafe Coffee Day while he was still in school. They were auditioning for the ad in his school and he got the part. “I received a cheque of fifteen thousand rupees for it,” he recalls. “I gave that to my mother.” Mumbai is known as the Mecca for all young actors and Tusharr wasn’t immune to the city’s charms. He desperately wanted to pack his bags and move here but lacked the means to do so. At 21, after completing an acting workshop with Barry John, he got some photos clicked and sent them to a modelling agency in Mumbai. To his surprise, he got called for an ad with Sonakshi Sinha. “I got one day’s notice to travel to Mumbai. All this was in the first week of getting my pictures done. The photographer had mailed my pictures to the casting director and agencies. I thought it was a scam. But I left for Mumbai anyway. The person who was coordinating the ad told me to audition for several more and I ended up bagging them all. It was a dream beginning of sorts,” he reveals. to audition for several more and I ended up bagging them all. It was a dream beginning of sorts,” he reveals. 
He slowly made contacts, did workshops and got his first television show, Piya Albela, produced by Rajshri Productions. The show proved to be a hit and he got sucked into the daily grind of working in a Hindi soap, shooting 2-3 episodes a day and literally living on the sets. They say the burnout rate is the highest among daily soap actors and Tusharr felt it too. He took a long sabbatical and returned with a web show for AltBalaji, called Bekaaboo Season 2. His popularity soared even further with the bold show and people started calling him OTT”s greek god. “That’s my journey so far in a gist. I’ve been offered two films but haven’t started shooting for them because of the pandemic. I hope the shooting starts soon as I’m raring to begin my innings on the big screen,” he confides. The actor has had his share of setbacks but instead of calling them setbacks he calls them learnings. He’s made a practice of reassessing a negative situation and tries to draw something positive out of it so that he can do better if faced with the same set of circumstances later in life. He’s a firm believer in the fact that hard work and dedication can take you places in this industry, and gives the example of his idol Shah Rukh Khan, who made it to the top despite being a complete outsider. “Like me, SRK is from Delhi and has a theatre background. He didn’t have his mother and father around him to give him the support when he came here. He didn’t have that luxury and privilege so it must have been much more difficult for him. So I feel very inspired by his journey. He didn’t just go on to become one of the best actors, but he’s also the number one star, the king. He’s a great actor, a brilliant businessman and the fittest man in the industry,” gushes the actor. He’s a great actor, a brilliant businessman and the fittest man in the industry,” gushes the actor. 

Tusharr wants to similarly carve his own legacy and inspire other newcomers through his work. He believes in the law of the Universe and says if the Universe has given him so much then it becomes his duty to give back that much more. Besides SRK, he’s inspired by Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone, whom he considers to be the best in Bollywood. His Hollywood idols are Tom Hanks and Natalie Portman. Besides acting, he loves to play sports like football and basketball. He’s a complete movie buff and watches at least one movie a day. He’s also into music and knows how to play both the guitar and the violin. He’s a spiritual person at heart and hence reads books on spiritualism as well as biographies of successful people in order to learn from them. He’s happy the song video he shot for T series with singer Ipsitaa is going to release soon. “I’d love to talk about my two film projects but I’ve been ordered not to. I can’t break such rules right now as my journey has just begun. I don’t want to jinx anything at this stage. I’ve miles to go and I want the voyage to be a memorable one. Wish me luck,” says he, before signing off. Here’s hoping his dreams are fulfilled.