Ayushmann Khurrana Brings AI and His Favorite Haryanvi Expression to New EP

Ayushmann Khurrana has worn many hats—actor, radio host, TV anchor and musician (in that order, more or less). And while he’s scored singing hits like “Paani Da Rang,” his new EP The Heartbreak Chhora sees the star turn to Haryanvi vocals across three tracks.

Released via Warner Music India and made with composer Gourov Dasgupta along with lyricists like Krishna Bharadwaj, Kunwar Juneja and S.R. Bhaarti, this new drop sees Khurrana take on synth-pop, funk and electronic hues. Inspired by his time growing up in the city of Panchkula near Chandigarh, singing in Haryanvi was the start of the experiment, which led to three songs, “The Heartbreak Chhora,” “Ho Gaya Pyaar Re” and “Drive To Murthal.” He tells Rolling Stone India in an email interview, “I felt it has to be a combination of three songs of three different genres. Also, I wanted to create a new sound when it comes to Haryanvi music, so the three songs were very important for this particular EP.”

While he’s previously released Punjabi songs, it helps that Haryanvi music is hitting all kinds of new highs in terms of streaming numbers in India. But, Khurrana has a strong enough bond with the land that drew him to make The Heartbreak Chhora. In our interview, he talks about the motivations, the AI-driven music video for the title track, showing his “pookie side” and his other projects coming up in 2025. Excerpts:

Rolling Stone India: What was the spark that led to the creation of The Heartbreak Chhora EP? How long were you working on it?

Ayushmann Khurrana: Probably my home state was the spark. I am a Punjabi, but I have lived probably 20 years of my life in Haryana, in a city called Panchkula next to Chandigarh, and I had never brought it up in my past creative work. Being a Punjabi, I can also speak a bit of Haryanvi, and my core is very rooted, so I wanted to do something related to my roots. And this also is a part of me, so it felt right!

It’s got a pretty colorful vibe to it, sonically and aesthetically. What was the goal with these Haryanvi songs?

There is no goal as such, but I want to go to the grassroots level of possibly every Indian state. Haryana is closest to me because I have lived there for 20 years of my life, and it was just organic for me. Chandigarh is actually a very unique city – it’s the capital city of both Punjab and Haryana. It’s technically at the tri-junction of Haryana, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. So, there is an overlapping influence from all three states. I will probably also do a Himachali song or a Bengali song in the future because I am good with languages. I’ll probably try and experiment more with different languages in future as well.

There’s AI incorporated in a pretty slick fashion for the music video of the title track. What were your thoughts on how it turned out, and what was the process like to make it look like it was you in those videos?

AI is something that is very new, and I’m probably one of the earliest actors in India who has used AI as a tool for his or her video. If you use it wisely, I think it can be a game-changer. Of course, there are some imaginary creatives and visuals in the video where the train is smaller than me, and I am strumming a guitar sitting on the highway, where I am bigger than the highway. So, I think Studio Blo (the AI production house behind the music video) has used these tools smartly, and it was pretty exciting to see that!

What are your thoughts on AI being used as a creative tool for things like music videos and artwork?

As far as the rights are retained and the contracts are set, AI should not be misused. But it’s less time-consuming and it also saves a lot of cost. If I’m shooting for a film and I’ve recorded a song, but I don’t have time to do a video, I think AI is the best way to go about it. It can give you that eclectic feel and your imagination can run wild. But at the same time, I also believe that eyes don’t lie and emotions don’t lie. So, AI can go to a certain extent, but a human touch is required to connect with the audience. It can go to a certain extent, but of course it cannot really replace humans.

What were your inputs for Gourov Dasgupta, if any, about the musical direction that you wanted to sing over on these songs?

This is the second time I’m collaborating with Gourov Dasgupta. The first time was with my debut single with Warner, “Akh Da Taara.” I think we have a great vibe which matches, and he’s also very restless when it comes to music and creativity, like me. The idea was to create three different songs for this language and since neither of us are Haryanvis, this is actually an outsider’s perspective, which can also give a different sound and feel to it. The brief to Gourov was: one punk-style rock song, the second a love ballad, and the third highly experimental—it has that Afro sound, which has never been used in India. So, I think it was very exciting to work on this.

What’s one thing you admire about Haryanvi music, and that maybe you feel you’re adding to the Haryanvi music industry with this project?

One thing that I admire about Haryana music is that it’s highly rooted. The language, the vibe, the feel—it’s very rustic and true to the soil. And with this particular EP, we are just adding a little bit of coolness or maybe the urban-ness to this. As I said earlier, this EP is easily consumable by non-Haryanvis as well. Also, there are a lot of urban Haryanvis in Delhi NCR who speak Haryanvi but in a very urban fashion, with more Hindi in it, which is a similar space this EP comes from. So, I think it’s probably like a clutter breaker for us.

Aesthetically also, this is a very unique texture which we’ve incorporated. I would like to call this genre ‘Urban Haryanvi’ because this is without the “akhadpan” and “lathmaar” feel to it. Maybe people who don’t speak proper Haryanvi can also understand these songs aesthetically and sonically.

What was your favorite Haryanvi lyric to sing from these songs?

My favorite is “Ho Gaya Pyaar Re” because it’s a love song. It’s my zone, my genre, and it shows the pookie side of like a stereotypical Haryanvi male, which is why it’s a little different. It’s beautiful and one of my favorites.

What’s your favorite Haryanvi word or phrase, in general, not necessarily in the context of the lyrics in these songs?

There’s a word called “endy” which means, like, really cool. “Endy” is the cool word in Haryana right now, and a lot of Gen-Z and millennials also use this word. This is one word which I currently really like and find cool.

What’s coming up next in 2025 for you as a singer as well as an actor?

I’ve always experimented with my films and music. So, in 2025, there’s a Diwali release called Thama, a part of the horror comedy universe of Maddock Films, which I’m really excited about. This is my first Diwali release. It’s going to be a big one and I’m super stoked about it. As far as my music identity is concerned, it will be more indie. My films will be more commercial, but my songs, my music will always be indie. That’s food for the soul.