EXCLUSIVE: Meet Andaaz 2 actor Aayush Kumar, the Gurgaon boy who WALKED OUT of his MBA exam to chase his Bollywood dream: "I knew all the answers. Yet, I didn’t write them. I just walked off"

The dashing and humble Aayush Kumar is all set to be launched with Andaaz 2. Bollywood Hungama exclusively spoke to him about the film and how he caught the acting bug.Aayush Kumar began by saying, “I was born and brought up in Gurgaon. I pursued a B. Com (Honours) degree from Delhi University, where I consistently ranked among the top three students in my class. Academically inclined, I always envisioned either taking up a job or establishing my own start-up, as I had a strong interest in business. To further my prospects, I appeared for the CAT exam and secured a 97 percentile. This led to my admission to the University Business School, Chandigarh, for an MBA. Meanwhile, my brother in Gurugram joined an acting school. He and I are quite close; humne bachpan mein sab saath mein kiya hai. Hence, it flipped the switch in me and I decided to be an actor! I was anyway interested in movies.”He continued, “While I was writing my financial management exam, I knew I was not at the right place. I knew all the answers. Yet, I didn’t write them. I just walked off! I never went back to college.”Aayush further said, “Then, I joined theatre in Chandigarh. I was fortunate to get a chance to perform in Mandi House in Delhi as well. This is when I broke the news to my family. Bahut ladaaiyan hui (laughs). They were scared as to how I’d manage. They had heard about nepotism and other things about Bollywood. They told me, ‘Duur duur tak koi rishtedaar ghoomne bhi Mumbai nahin gaya hai’! My mother cried. I assured them that I’ll manage and that they should let me go.”But the real challenge lay ahead for Aayush Kumar, “Once, I came to Mumbai, reality hit. I saw some very bad and very good days. Jo jaisa kaam mila, woh kiya. Finally, with Andaaz 2, my name has been associated with such a huge franchise. I used to watch Andaaz, Jaanwar (1999) and other Suneel sir’s films on TV. I never imagined that one day, he’d be directing me (smiles).”In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, Suneel Darshan revealed that he had initially planned to consider Aayush for the role of the lead hero’s friend but later changed his mind. On this, Aayush stated, “I came to meet him, hoping that I would be given some important role in the film. When Suneel sir told me (about the change in plan), I felt very fortunate.”Andaaz (2003) starred Akshay Kumar. Does he feel pressure stepping into his shoes? He replied, “There’s no pressure. We are quite confident about the plot and the story of the movie. We rehearsed considerably before the shoot. Kabhi na kabhi, unki ya kisi bhi established star ki first film toh aayi hi hogi. Similarly, this is my first film. There are challenges, of course, but it doesn’t scare me.”The poster of Andaaz 2 features Aayush Kumar bare-chested. When asked about its response, he replied, “The reaction has been amazing. People are sending me messages.”How have the females reacted to his shirtless avatar? Aayush Kumar smiled and revealed, “They have reacted positively. Every day, I get DMs from them and they appreciate my look!”Meanwhile, his family is on cloud nine. “They are very excited,” he said. “Every day, they ask me when the next song will be out. All my relatives are also upbeat. I feel blessed and I would like to thank Suneel sir for giving me this opportunity. He believed in me when no one else did.”Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Andaaz 2 trailer expected to be out around Eid; Suneel Darshan opens up on casting Akshay Kumar in Andaaz to launching Aayush Kumar in sequel and why he chose newcomers again