DYK Ayushmann Khurrana was rejected from an acting reality show for his looks. On Tuesday Trivia

Ayushmann Khurrana turns 37 today. The birthday boy is an established name in Bollywood but the road to success hasn't been smooth for Ayushmann. The actor started off as a radio jockey. He was later seen on MTV Roadies Season 2, which he won. He rose to fame with his debut film Vicky Donor, directed by Shoojit Sircar. And since then, he has cemented his position in Bollywood with his unconventional roles. However, very few know that Ayushmann was rejected from an acting reality show. That too for his looks.

Ayushmann Khurrana had auditioned for India's Best Cinestars Ki Khoj Season 1 in 2003. The actor was rejected in the regional round because of his unconventional looks. The first season of the reality show gave us actors like Aditi Sharma, Amruta Khanvilkar, Ankita Lokhande, Sharad Malhotra, Divyanka Tripathi, Shraddha Arya and Sarwar Ahuja, among others.

Interestingly, Ayushmann, who was a Season 1-reject, was called to mentor the contestants in Season 3 in 2014. The actor called it a surreal experience. During the launch of the show, he recalled how he was rejected in the auditions just because of his unconventional looks. However now, he says, the film industry's doors are open to everybody who has a decent amount of talent.

Speaking about his rejection in the first season, Ayushmann said, "It was the Spring of 2003 when I auditioned for Zee Cinestars Ki Khoj Season 1, and I was rejected. I was rejected in the regional round. I am a reject from the show. So, it's quite surreal that I am on the panel as a Bollywood buddy (mentor) this time."

He further added, "In 2003, I was this nerdy looking guy, with specs, thin, not the 6-ft-tall conventional hero. And, the rest of the guys in Chandigarh were 6 ft plus. That was 10 years back. Now, times have changed. I think this is the golden era of cinema. We have gone beyond nepotism. And, this is a time when anybody with a decent amount of talent can be here, be an actor. Doors are opened."

Along with Ayushmann, actress Parineeti Chopra was also seen as a mentor on the show. Sonali Bendre, Vijay Krishna Acharya and Anurag Basu were the judges on the show that season, while Hussain Kuwajerwala and Vishal Malhotra were the hosts.

After Vicky Donor, Ayushmann Khurrana appeared in several hit films, which includes Dum Laga Ke Haisha, Shubh Mangal Saavdhan, Bareilly Ki Barfi, Andhadhun and Badhaai Ho. He won the National Award for Best Actor for Sriram Raghavan's 2018 film Andhadhun.

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