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3 min readMumbaiFeb 27, 2026 10:59 AM IST
Adarsh Gourav was last seen in Tu Yaa Main.
(Photo: Adarsh Gourav, Instagram)
Adarsh Gourav, who delivered yet another phenomenal performance in Bejoy Nambiar’s Tu Yaa Main, admits he is somewhat disappointed with the film’s commercial response. His feelings are understandable, especially in a post-pandemic landscape, where the market for experimental films, coupled by faces like him and Shanaya Kapoor, are seen by the trade as risky and unlikely to guarantee box office returns. Recently, Adarsh spoke about this, urging audiences to give such films “a chance to show what we’ve done with.” As he emphasized, “It’s important that people watch smaller commercial films.”
‘Where will the new actors go?’
Speaking to Zoom, he elaborated, “People want to go only for big-ticket films post the pandemic. They want films like Animal, Border 2, or Dhurandhar. At the same time, I also feel like people need to show up in certain numbers for these films. I’m not saying these films should make an insane amount of money, but if they continue making big losses, then it discourages producers from experimenting with stories at all. Then all you will get to see is big films with big stars.”
With a hint of disappointment, he added, “Where will actors like me go? Where will the new actors go? OTT platforms also now have similar considerations. So, I feel like people will not be disappointed when they go for this. In fact, nine out of ten people who’ve written to me told me that they had a preconceived notion about the film. But when they watched it, it changed.”
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Breakthrough with My Name Is Khan
Looking back at his own journey, Adarsh previously shared with Nayandeep Rakshit how he landed his breakthrough role in Karan Johar’s My Name Is Khan. Initially, he had auditioned for the role of Shah Rukh Khan’s son. “I was 14 when this was shot. I had actually auditioned for the role of SRK’s son, and I didn’t get it. I blame my dad for how he made me learn the lines. It was a very bad audition,” he recalled. Disheartened, the young actor assumed his chance was gone. “While waiting for the bus on my way back, I remember thinking, that’s it, I’m done. I had this one chance to be in an SRK film and I lost it.”
Months passed, and the audition nearly faded from memory, until he got another call. “They called me again for an audition. I thought they were calling the wrong person because I had already been rejected. But they said they wanted me for another role, Shah Rukh Khan’s younger version.” Adarsh was shown a clip of Shah Rukh Khan and asked to perform. “I just mimicked him. I had no idea what Asperger’s syndrome was at the time. I got the part. They said there was some similarity between SRK sir and me, maybe the eyes, I don’t know. I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t sleep that night.”
English (US) ·