Veteran actor Anupam Kher says age hasn’t diminished his passion for acting, comparing the profession to the ocean — no matter how much you take, there’s always more.
“I’m as restless as I was in my first film. Many actors my age have given up on the enthusiasm of life, thinking of themselves as older or more experienced. But this is one profession that is like the water in the sea or ocean — however much you take out, there will still be some left. And that’s also my attitude towards life,” Kher, who has appeared in over 500 films, told PTI.
Asked about his boundless enthusiasm, Kher said, “I live my life fully, and that requires being enthusiastic. Age hasn’t made me settle down,” he added.
Despite being in the industry for over four decades, he admits that while he’s grown calmer and more compassionate personally, he still feels like a “newcomer” professionally.
The 70-year-old actor said he draws inspiration from figures like American actor-filmmakers Clint Eastwood and Woody Allen, as well as Indian superstar Amitabh Bachchan, admiring their dedication to cinema.
“I recently met writer Kamana Chandra ji (the writer), who is 92. I was amazed. She told me her husband had passed away — they had been married for nearly 62 years — and has tears in her eyes. Her enthusiasm was incredible. It reminded me that we should always look up to role models who are doing things differently,” he said.
In terms of his choice of roles and films, Kher said he is deliberately gravitating toward stories featuring older characters, including “Shiv Shastri Balbao”, “The Signature”, “Vijay 69”, and “Tanvi: The Great”.
“I consciously made an effort a few years back to share stories that are important as a so-called leading man. Also, I’m not playing characters in a hurry to impress people. At that time, I was working with all different actors and wanted to come across as the best, so I was bringing out things from my bag of acting — whatever I had learned or seen in world cinema,” he said.
“But now I want to make my job difficult, because I’ve done so much work that the easiest thing in the world is to be competent. But I also know that competence is the biggest enemy of brilliance. The roles are the same; how I can do them differently — that is the challenge,” the actor added.
Kher is currently filming his 549th movie, directed by his longtime filmmaker friend Sooraj Barjatya. The film also stars Ayushmann Khurrana and Sharvari.
Reflecting on his journey in the industry, Kher expressed heartfelt gratitude: “I’m constantly saying thank you to God for letting me be in this business for 41 years”.
“I’m about to start my 550th film next month, it’s amazing how God and audiences have been kind to me. The only thing I’ve to do is to work hard, that’s the least that is expected out of me,” he added.
The actor was speaking on the sidelines of the 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), where four of his films were showcased. These included “Calorie”, an English-language drama; a restored version of his acclaimed 1994 romance “1942: A Love Story”; his directorial venture “Tanvi: The Great”; and Vivek Agnihotri’s “The Bengal Files”.
“They are all four films completely different, like ‘1942 Love Story’ became an important film of our times. ‘Calorie’ is a very special film; it is a story of relationships, tragedy, loss, and the feeling of trying to collect your pieces together.
“It is a very sensitive film. The way Eisha (Marjara), the director of our film, has put it together, the three actresses who came from Canada were so amazingly talented, and I got to work with Dolly Ahluwalia, she was one year junior to me in the National School of Drama,” Kher said.
The actor said he is thrilled to begin work on “Khosla Ka Ghosla 2” and is also looking forward to directing another film soon.
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