MUMBAI: National Award-winning Bollywood star Ayushmann Khurrana was named in the Time magazine list of 100 Most Influential People this year, and the achievement makes Acharya P. Khurrana a proud father.

Ayushman''s father Acharya Khurrana is an astrologer and has written several books on the subject. Tracing his son's ascent from the time Ayushmann did a Shakespearean play as a five year old to his acting stint in college and onto his Bollywood break and ensuing stardom, Khurrana senior couldn't be more proud of his son.

"Right from when he received a Filmfare Award for Vicky Donor to featuring on the Time 100 most influential list, every time Ayushmann won, I had tears of happiness in my eyes. I have seen him struggle to fulfil his passion for acting," said Acharya Khurrana.

Ayushmann, who is currently touted as Bollywood's poster boy of content cinema, rose to fame with his debut performance in the 2012 film "Vicky Donor". The act opened the floodgates for substantial roles to come his way, and he worked in several films that championed social change, including "Dum Laga Ke Haisha", "Shubh Mangal Saavdhan", "Badhaai Ho", "Article 15" and "Dream Girl".

His father says Ayushmann was always into acting. "Ayushmann was inclined towards acting since childhood. When he was five years old, he was part of a Shakespearean play and since then he has been passionate about acting," Acharya Khurrana said.

The proud father also recalled how Ayushmann formed his own acting groups. "While in college, he formed an acting group. He also used to do street plays in Sector 17 with his friends, and even though they were street plays they had a standard. Ayushmann also participated in college festivals and won awards," he remembered, about the days when the actor polished his skills.