IT IS IMPORTANT TO EXPLORE NEW THINGS IN LIFE: ANUPAM KHER
Senior actor Anupam Kher talks about his game changing project and his latest international outing
Anupam Kher is elated with the response he has received for his role in his latest international TV show. The actor says the role was challenging, but worth the attempt. “I feel the show was a gamble in terms of acting. Being an Indian actor, communicating in English was not a problem, but it was difficult to perform in English for a period of six months continuously. I am humbled by the great response,” he says. Excerpts from an interview:
Does the show’s success encourage you to sign more international productions?
There are a few projects that have come up, but I haven’t finalised anything yet. My movie, Hotel Mumbai, got great reviews at the Toronto International Film Festival. I am looking forward to its release. As of now, I have my next Hindi film coming up in December.
Are Indian actors still offered stereotypical roles in the West or have things changed?
If you look at the kind of work I’ve done in Hollywood, none of my parts were stereotypical. Actors from India don’t get stereotypical roles anymore. Being a trained actor has helped me achieve professionalism, as they are unbelievably professional. If a car is going to pick you up at 6.55pm, you need to be in the lobby by 6.50pm; no one will call you and ask you to come down.
You are busy with a film that has politics at its core. Did you face any difficulties while working in it? Initially, I felt that I didn’t want to do the film, as I didn’t know if I would get enough time to shoot it. It was not written by
If you look at the kind of work I’ve done in Hollywood, none of them were stereotypical. Actors from India don’t get stereotypical roles anymore. ANUPAM KHER, ACTOR
an outsider who could fabricate the facts, but by the legal advisor of the then Prime Minister (Dr Manmohan Singh). So, I took it as a challenge. Now that I have finished shooting 95% of the film. This biopic will be a game changer. It’s from an insider’s point of view, and I think it has been the most difficult role of my life. It took me two months to prepare for it.
Will you ever get into politics? No, I think I am not made for that, I enjoy acting. One person from my family (wife Kirron Kher) is a Member of Parliament and I feel that is sufficient. The problem is, when a person starts talking openly about the country, people feel he/she wants to get into politics. My point is, if I plan to get into politics, I will directly talk to the people. I will tell them that I am planning to get into politics and need their support. I don’t think I have such plans.