Anupam Kher is working on his second book, has five back-to-back releases, is busy managing his acting school and doing theatre. He spoke to Karan Bhardwaj about the importance of introspection and why he chooses to be workaholic at this age
At 58, Anupam Kher is living his dreams. He has five back-to-back releases, starting with Gang of Ghosts. He is busy writing his second book about his life experiences. His acting school demands attention, too. Then there are motivational lectures in between and he is also giving auditions for Hollywood flicks. And add theatre to the list. The actor loves being busy. “I have crossed the age of insecurity and competition. The only challenge I have is to better my own performance in whatever I do. I make notes on how to improve myself. I am on a joy ride. Before doing anything, I contemplate on what my students will think about me and my work,” says the actor. A while ago, he took little time off to ‘reinvent’ himself. “I went abroad, met new people, relaxed a bit and then returned with a bang. It’s important to take a break to introspect,” he says.
In Satish Kaushik’s Gang of Ghosts, Kher plays the owner of a mansion which is possessed by spirits. The comedy film, which is the remake of Bengali film Bhooter Bhabishyat, talks about the land-grabbing issue. “It has become a serious matter. From Mumbai to Noida to Gurgaon, there are so many cases where land is grabbed by mafias or illegally occupied by agencies with nexus from official agencies. And these places are so over-congested. Then, there are multi-storeyed buildings which are crashing every now and then. Whenever I travel to Pune, I feel it might become Mumbai soon. It is growing so rapidly. My own town, Shimla, doesn’t look like a hill station anymore,” he says adding, “The film is a social comment on builders’ lobby. Today when there is no place for living beings, how can they let dead ones take over itIJ I think we have been able to deliver the message clearly.” He is also happy to work with director of the film, Satish Kaushik, his former batchmate at the National School of Drama. “But he was not the only reason to do Gang of Ghosts. Now I am not interested in mediocre roles. But he convinced me with the message of film and depth of the character,” he says.
Kher will be seen in movies like Total Siyappa, O Teri, Main Tera Hero, Super Nani and Daawat-e-Ishq. How does he manage to flip through characters at easeIJ “I have always played contrasting characters,” he says. Kher, also known for his comic timing on screen, doesn’t have time to watch comedy shows on television. “I sometimes watch Comedy Night With Kapil which is good. But I don’t like to watch TV. I do constructive things like reading and writing books. If you start watching TV, there’s no end to it,” he says. His next book is titled lessons life Taught Me Unknowingly. “It has my own experiences. I want to motivate youth and and I have also started doing life teaching programmes. life is beautiful. There is so much one can get inspired from,” he says.
Apart from Singham 2 and remake of Shaukeen, he has auditioned for couple of Hollywood projects.