‘ANUPAM KHER AND I CALL EACH OTHER BRO’
Vamsee talks about working with the actor in Tiger Nageswara Rao
WE NEEDED A SENIOR ACTOR FOR THE ROLE, AND SINCE THE FILM IS RELEASING IN MULTIPLE LANGUAGES INCLUDING HINDI, WE FELT SOMEONE LIKE ANUPAM KHER SIR WOULD FIT THE BILL. HIS ABILITY TO EFFORTLESSLY SLIP INTO CHARACTER WHEN WE SAY ‘ACTION’, AND QUICKLY COME OUT OF IT WHEN WE SAY ‘CUT’, IS COMMENDABLE. HE MIGHT BE IN HIS 60S, BUT HE’S YOUNG AT HEART. HE GENERATES GREAT ENERGY ON THE SETS
— VAMSEE,
Producer Abhishek Aggarwal’s announcement on Tuesday that he had cast Anupam Kher in his film Tiger Nageswara Rao has sent ripples of excitement through the film unit members. Apparently, Kher recently shot for a schedule of the Ravi Tejastarrer in Hyderabad.
The film’s director Vamsee says he had thought of casting Kher during the scripting session, much before the release of Kashmir Files.
“We needed a senior actor for the role, and since the film is releasing in multiple languages including Hindi, we felt someone like
Kher Sir would fit the bill,” explains
Vamsee, adding that when he narrated the script, the actor liked it.
Vamsee found working with the National-award winning actor a learning experience.
“His ability to effortlessly slip into character when we say ‘action’, and quickly come out of it when we say ‘cut’, is commendable,” beams the director.
“Kher saab might be in his 60s, but he’s young at heart. He generates great energy on the sets. We call each other bro,” he quips.
Apparently, Kher got the hang of the language (Telugu) as well. Although he did not hire a tutor, the actor understood the meaning of the words and delivered the dialogues fluently with proper diction, says the director.
Since this is a biopic (based on the life of notorious thief Nageswara Rao in Stuvartupuram, in the 1970’s) the filmmakers were looking to cast new faces and actors who have theatre background in several key roles.
“We believe a theatre background will lend credibility to the role
while a new face brings fresh appeal,” Vamsee explains.
Meanwhile, Anupam Kher was recently part of another Telugu film, Karthikeya 2, and has completed the dubbing for his part.