Bollywood star Ayushmann Khurrana completed 10 years in the Hindi film industry on Wednesday.

The actor calls it an exhilarating decade in cinema for him who didn’t have any connections in the Hindi film industry. The actor finds himself grateful today that he found quality mentors who believed in him.

Ayushmann, who has delivered hits like ‘Vicky Donor’, ‘Shubh Mangal Saavdhaan’, ‘Dum Laga Ke Haisha’, ‘Badhai Ho, ‘Bala’, ‘Article 15’, ‘Dream Girl’, and ‘Andhadhun’ in his decade in cinema, says, “It has been an exhilarating decade in cinema for me.”

“For someone with absolutely no connection, no inroads in the Hindi film industry, I find myself grateful today that I found quality mentors who believed in me more than I believed in myself at the start of my career and guided me to where I’m today.”

He adds, “If I had to describe my decade in cinema, I would say that being a purist to my craft, being an unhinged risk-taker worked for me because I walked the path less-traveled. Today, when I look back at my body of work, I’m deeply proud of my decisions.”

“I think I have always been adamant about finding the best films and that decision has been the most rewarding one for my career.”

Ayushmann’s cult classic ‘Vicky Donor’ was released ten years ago on April 20, 2012. The Shoojit Sircar directorial presented a new brand of heroism who was deeply relatable, and flawed yet had the willpower to rise up against the odds to present a strong moral compass. It made Ayushmann an overnight sensation!

Ayushmann says, “Today, I’m reminded of filming Vicky Donor, a film that became my calling card to the industry about the movies that I would like to back. I’m thankful to Shoojit da, Ronnie Lahiri, and John Abraham for trusting a rookie like me to headline a project that is now being called a generation-defining film. I’m slightly emotional about today and feeling very nostalgic.”

He adds, “It brings back a deluge of fond memories, reminds me of my days of struggle, exasperation, determination, small joys, and big successes. It’s further reinforced my belief about never picking safe scripts.”

“I think audiences have a certain expectation from my brand of cinema today and I hope to entertain them thoroughly throughout my career in movies. I thank every filmmaker who took a punt on me. I’m who I’m today because of them and all the films that I have done.”

Ayushmann has a stellar lineup of films in 2022. He will be next seen in Anubhav Sinha’s ‘Anek’ that releases on May 27, Anubhuti Kashyap’s ‘Doctor G’ and filmmaker Aanand L. Rai’s ‘Action Hero’ being directed by debutant Anirudh Iyer.