As audiences become increasingly selective about the films they choose to watch in theatres, the question of what makes a theatrical release worth the ticket price has become central to the film business. At FICCI FRAMES 2026 in Mumbai on Tuesday, actor Ayushmann Khurrana sat down for a discussion titled Cinema at Crossroads – The Rules of the Big Screen. The conversation examined everything from audience trust and storytelling to theatrical windows, pricing, opening weekends and the changing definition of stardom. Excerpts…‘I really believe that we are dwelling in multiple universes’With actors now interacting with audiences through social media, brand associations and other platforms, the conversation revolved around what stardom means in today’s entertainment ecosystem. Ayushmann said the definition has expanded considerably. “I really believe that we are dwelling in multiple universes where there are multiple worlds of entertainment, and there are multiple stars of each world. There are certain stars who are very big, and you don’t even know about them, but certain people who know about them. So, I think stardom is all relative,” he said, adding, “I always believe that a script is a star more than anything else. It’s not one size fits all. Like you can have a star who’s completely reticent, who will not talk to the media or be approachable. There are certain people who want to interact with people. For me, the latter works because I come from a radio background. I can talk to people, and that’s my need, because my stories are rooted. I need to talk to people at the grassroots level to keep the artiste in me alive. So again, stardom is very relative. It used to be an exclusive club earlier, not anymore.”‘Most of my films have been like word-of-mouth films’The pressure surrounding the first weekend was another major talking point. Ayushmann said films driven by word-of-mouth need time to find their audience. “Most of my films have been like word-of-mouth films at the box office in the initial days. But I guess it has to be a great film. If you’re expecting word-of-mouth, it cannot be a good or very good film; it has to be a great film. But at the same time, if you give that promise to the audience with your filmography; or if the trailer somehow clicks or the song works, it will definitely get you opening numbers. But eventually, you have to depend on the content that you create. Success is multifactorial in every content piece,” he explained.He also pointed out, “We need to make movies that are budget-friendly and connect more with the people.”