Today we’d like to introduce you to Ayush Khedekar.
Hi Ayush, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My journey began when I was four years old, watching my father, who was then a regional theatre artist, perform on stage. One of his monologues quickly became my bedtime story, and before long, I began narrating it as if I were performing it myself. My parents soon enrolled me in competitions, and gradually I started receiving opportunities for commercials and TV shows. Then came the day I auditioned for Slumdog Millionaire, and after nine rounds, I got the green light to play the youngest Jamal. At the time, I didn’t realize how big the film would become; even while shooting, its future felt distant and abstract. But after the movie won numerous awards, including 8 Oscars, more offers began coming in. Still, my parents encouraged me to focus on finishing my education, so I took on only a limited number of projects. After high school in Mumbai, at 18, I moved to Plattsburgh, NY, to pursue my bachelor’s degree in TV and Video Production at SUNY Plattsburgh. I worked for about six months at a news station in Albany, but I always knew I wanted to return to acting. After 3 auditions over the span of 3 years I eventually got accepted into the Stella Adler Studio of Acting, where I spent the last two years in the evening conservatory, learning, honing my craft, and importantly—failing, over and over, in the ways that help you grow. The conservatory shaped me from an actor to an artist, with a process, a technique. I missed in all my years of experience. I finished off this life-changing experience with 2 plays (The Last Days of Judas Iscariot by Stephen Adly Guirgis
; When the Rain Stops Falling by Andrew Bovell) and a short film in my time there.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Like every journey, mine has had its ups and downs. It hasn’t always been smooth, but it has always been fun. Being exposed to show business at such a young age was as daunting as it was exciting, and as a child actor, I was definitely pampered, and I’ve been privileged to pursue what I’ve wanted to, surrounded by incredible support from my parents, friends, and family. When I moved to the U.S. at 18, the newness of being alone and having to handle everything by myself was difficult to adjust to at first. But that experience of figuring things out on my own after a lifetime of familiarity and support was tremendously eye-opening. It taught me resilience, independence, and a deeper understanding of who I was becoming.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am an actor, and I’ve been one for the last 21 years. From commercials to TV shows, plays, and short films, I’ve been lucky to experience almost every corner of this art form. What I love most about acting is the chance to step into the eyes and body of someone completely different from myself and to experience perspectives I’ve only imagined, and to live out possibilities that exist beyond my own world. In India, I’ve appeared in more than fifty commercials, many of them for household brands, and people still recognize me from them. The films I’ve worked on include – Jai Gangaajal (2016) with Priyanka Chopra, Gandhi Of The Month (unreleased – was supposed to release in 2015) with Harvey Keitel, Ek Tha Hero (2023). But of course, I am mostly known for my work in Slumdog Millionaire—a moment that became far bigger than I ever anticipated. For me, and in many ways for India, that film was a milestone. I’ve met countless people who feel they already know a part of me simply because of that movie, and it’s still a surreal and beautiful feeling. Whenever Slumdog Millionaire comes up, I feel proud – proud of what I did at that age, proud of my confidence in myself and in my craft, and proud of how instinctively I trusted my own voice. What sets me apart, I think, is that I am often unpredictable, even to myself – But the child in me is always visible. That openness is what people tend to meet first, and I believe it’s a quality that has shaped and strengthened every relationship in my life.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success, for me, is simply being content. Content with what I do, and content with the people I choose to spend my time with. If something I choose to pursue genuinely satisfies me, if it feels worth my time and aligns with who I am, then I consider that a success. It’s the freedom to be myself in everything I do. That, to me, is the truest form of achievement.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3193597/
Image Credits
Richelle Szypulski Photography (Theatre stills)
