When Anupam Kher decided to not surround himself with other struggling actors

Bollywood actor Anupam Kher, who is working on his second directorial venture, on how being lonely and frustrated was necessary to build his 40-year acting career

For Vijay 69, Anupam Kher took on the challenge of learning swimming at 69. The idea of challenging himself extends to his next venture too. The veteran actor, who had turned director with Om Jai Jagadish in 2002, is giving filmmaking a second shot with Tanvi The Great. The musical stars him alongside Game of Thrones actor Iain Glen, with music composed by Oscar winner MM Keeravani. Relishing this chapter of his career, Kher states, “Like Vijay 69, even for my directorial venture, I took up a difficult subject. No one can tell us what we can or cannot do. We can be ordinary, but the difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that extra effort. You have to bring that element in your life and career.”

A still from Vijay 69

Kher has completed four decades in the industry. It was a realisation early on in his journey that turned things around for him. “It’s important to be lonely and frustrated [for an artiste],” he says, recounting how he decided to not surround himself with other struggling actors. “When I came to Mumbai, people told me that I should go to Pamposh restaurant in Bandra and hang outside Prithvi Theatre. So, I went to Pamposh and saw a few old people. They were sipping tea and saying, ‘Gyarah saal se struggle kar raha hoon.’ I realised that seven years later, I might [be one of them]. That’s why I never sat with them.”

Over the decades that followed, Kher built not only an eclectic filmography, but also meaningful friendships in the industry—from Anil Kapoor to Chunky Panday. “Now, [such friendships] are not possible. I’m not saying today people aren’t capable of forming relationships, but at that time, we didn’t have any vanity vans. We didn’t have so many people surrounding us. What we had were conversations,” he says.

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