Ayushmann Khurrana plays the role of an IPS officer in Anubhav Sinha’s upcoming film Article 15. Set in Uttar Pradesh, the investigative drama highlights the issue of caste-based discrimination in rural India. To prepare for the part for a cop, Ayushmann interacted with real officers and observed their everyday routine. The actor says he refused to enlist film references in his performance and portrayed the character authentically. 

“I met real-life cops to prepare for my role in Article 15. I am friends with Mr. Manoj Malviya who’s a senior IPS officer, based out of Calcutta and Delhi. I have personally met him a lot of times and observed his body language,  Apart from that when in Lucknow for the shoot of our film. I met a few IPS officers and also observed the way they behaved in their day to day routine and how they salute. I learned and honed the basics. I did not imitate any cop from films. My intention was to imitate real life cops,”  Ayushmann shared in a statement. 

Article 15 also stars Isha Talwar, Sayani Gupta, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa and M. Nassar. The film is scheduled to release on June 28, 2019.