If they’re serious, giving up acting can’t be an option for budding actors, feels Anupam Kher
Thousands of aspiring artists come to Mumbai to pursue their acting dreams, but only a few turn lucky and succeed in making it big in the film industry. And those who don’t, quit their journey midway. Ask senior actor Anupam Kher about this, and he agrees that the film industry is a harsh place. However, he is quick to add that giving up should not be an option for anyone who is serious about their craft.
“I just tell them don’t put a period to [materialising] their acting dream. Going back without making it to the industry shouldn’t be an option. I feel bad for [aspiring actors] because there is so much of competition that life doesn’t give them so many chances now,” says the 64-yearold, who stars in the second season of American series New Amsterdam and is currently stationed in the US.
Having worked with three generation of actors, Kher has observed that today’s youth is very forthright when it comes to their careers. “They aren’t worried about making mistakes,” Kher continues, “The younger actors that I work with are phenomenally disciplined and go getters. But the most important thing to understand is that it is very easy to become popular with the help of social media, even a wink can make one popular. But aim for longevity.”
The actor points that during his time, training in acting was not considered to be that important. Actors used to learn on the field by doing theatre or TV shows. “Nowadays, training in acting is considered to be very important and we have proper workshops and readings before starting the shoot of particular film. But earlier, training wasn’t considered to be important,” shares Kher, who runs an acting school.
The actor, who featured in The Accidental Prime Minister earlier this year further shares that many people come to his acting school only to have an experience. “Apart from budding actors, there are doctors, engineers and IT professionals, too, who would come [to acting schools] just because they feel that an acting course is a great self discovery platform,” Kher says.