Indian actors who look down upon the Oscars are basically lying-Anupam Kher
8:03 AM
Lasyapriya Sundaram BOMBAY TIMES; March 28, 2017)
In a prolific career
spanning 35 years, Anupam Kher's repertoire of work, boasts of roles in
both Bollywood and Hollywood, which are award-winning as well as
applause-worthy. Having acted in over 500 films, Kher speaks to BT about
his turn as Shuklaji in the Baby spin-off, Naam Shabana and also why he
doesn't shy away from expressing his opinions about people who look
down upon the Oscars and the Censor Board. Excerpts...
You have been collaborating with Neeraj Pandey since 2008. Do you share an exceptional working rapport with him?
I enjoyed playing Shuklaji because of the way Neeraj (Pandey, who had written and directed Baby) had etched it out. In Naam Shabana, he is just the writer (Shivam Nair has helmed it), but whenever he has directed me, I have noticed his remarkable clarity. Once his script is ready, one doesn't need to work on it any further. He is straightforward and honest to the point of causing discomfort to the other person. I like that about him and I always tell him that he can't make a film without me. I have been the constant factor in all his films. He makes a film realistic, but also imbues it with a larger-than-life quality. He is the only Indian director who is at par with international filmmakers.
You have been an actor for close to 35 years. Which are some of your own performances that you look back with fondness?
I should answer this question after 30 years because I have three more decades of work life left. It is time to do more work rather than reflect on what I have already done. Of course, my roles in films like Saaransh, Daddy, Karma, Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Khosla Ka Ghosla, A Wednesday, Special 26 and Silver Linings Playbook are memorable and have been appreciated by the audiences as well. I am now looking forward to five international films releasing in 2017 with co-stars like Gerard Butler, Freida Pinto and Dev Patel.
Your body of work in the West is on the rise. Do you fear that you will be stereotyped in Hollywood?
I didn't get typecast as a father in Indian films, so I am confident that I won't get typecast anywhere else. Even in the films here in which I have played a dad, the characters are different, only the word 'father' is a common factor. If an actor fears being typecast, it's his insecurity speaking. An actor, who is not insecure or does not fear failure, can experiment without any qualms. There have been phases in between - and I have done almost 505 films - when I did feel the monotony. But I immediately took cognisance of the fact and cut down my work. There was a time when I was doing 23 films a year, but now I do four or five. The benefit of being a trained actor is that it works in your favour when international cinema looks at you. International filmmakers haven't cast me because I am brown-skinned or because I fit into a stereotype. For example, my role in Silver Linings Playbook was already a part of the book on which the film was based and in my upcoming Hollywood film, The Headhunter's Calling, I play a neurosurgeon. So, I think that they look at the actor's range, professionalism, comfort level and also, popularity. I may have had two scenes in Woody Allen's film, but how many people in the world can claim to be on the same set as the legendary filmmaker? For me, life is how I look at it. I think this is the most glorious period of my career, and it's just the beginning.
What is your response to those who dis Indian actors who want to work in the West and also to those who don't consider the Oscars as a benchmark of excellence?
I am very proud of Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone, Irrfan, Anil Kapoor and Suraj Sharma, as they have all done brilliant work internationally. In fact, Om Puri was the flag-bearer when it came to being a successful Indian actor in the international arena. People who discourage other actors who are making a mark in Hollywood by asking them why they are hankering after it, are basically lying. They will give their right arm to be a part of the crowd at the Oscar ceremony or a Hollywood film. Every art house actor is dying to work in out-and-out commercial films, every actor wants to work with a superstar. Similarly, all those Indian actors, who look down upon the Oscars and say that they are not important, are basically lying.
You have been prolific as an actor, but as a businessman, you have had to deal with failure...
Fifteen years back, I got into television production because I wanted to explore new territories. But I didn't know how to deal with cost and expenses. I was the first person in my family to venture into business and also the first person to see Rs 10,000 at one go. I thought my ideas were enough to help me succeed, but I realised that one has to have business acumen as well. I almost went bankrupt. But then, when I had come to this city for the first time, I just had Rs 37 in my pocket, a degree and a gold medal from the National School of Drama. I thought to myself that I will never go back into that state. That is when I did the play, Kuchh Bhi Ho Sakta Hai, in which I laughed at my failures. In fact, that play took away the fear of failure from me.
Does fighting against the odds come naturally to you?
While shooting for Hum Aapke Hain Koun...! (HAHK), I suffered from partial facial paralysis and my doctor advised me to take two months off. But we were in the middle of shooting that famous scene where everyone in the family is playing passing the pillow. I went to Filmistan Studio and told Sooraj Barjatya (director) that I am ready to shoot. That's why the drunken scene from Sholay, essayed by Dharmendra, was incorporated in the film. If you see that scene, there is not a single close-up. What I am trying to say is, life is all about the attitude you adopt. People are ruined by the sycophants, who surround them. I have no chamchas. You will never see my entourage checking into a hotel on my behalf. I like doing things myself. People who take themselves seriously are comical. When you don't forget your roots, you only see progress in everything you do.
You have been the chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification in the past. Do you think the way the body has been functioning in the past two years is worrisome?
The rulebook followed by the Censor Board is old. It is very easy to criticise a body or a person. That's because criticism gets written about, while positive news is not. I think certification is important and not censorship. Today, you can pick up the phone and see anything in the world without any restriction. I believe that change needs to be implemented soon. Having said that, India does live in the smaller cities, too. Our country is not just about the five metropolitan cities. Changing the rule book is a long process. One can't give black and white suggestions.
You have been collaborating with Neeraj Pandey since 2008. Do you share an exceptional working rapport with him?
I enjoyed playing Shuklaji because of the way Neeraj (Pandey, who had written and directed Baby) had etched it out. In Naam Shabana, he is just the writer (Shivam Nair has helmed it), but whenever he has directed me, I have noticed his remarkable clarity. Once his script is ready, one doesn't need to work on it any further. He is straightforward and honest to the point of causing discomfort to the other person. I like that about him and I always tell him that he can't make a film without me. I have been the constant factor in all his films. He makes a film realistic, but also imbues it with a larger-than-life quality. He is the only Indian director who is at par with international filmmakers.
You have been an actor for close to 35 years. Which are some of your own performances that you look back with fondness?
I should answer this question after 30 years because I have three more decades of work life left. It is time to do more work rather than reflect on what I have already done. Of course, my roles in films like Saaransh, Daddy, Karma, Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Khosla Ka Ghosla, A Wednesday, Special 26 and Silver Linings Playbook are memorable and have been appreciated by the audiences as well. I am now looking forward to five international films releasing in 2017 with co-stars like Gerard Butler, Freida Pinto and Dev Patel.
Your body of work in the West is on the rise. Do you fear that you will be stereotyped in Hollywood?
I didn't get typecast as a father in Indian films, so I am confident that I won't get typecast anywhere else. Even in the films here in which I have played a dad, the characters are different, only the word 'father' is a common factor. If an actor fears being typecast, it's his insecurity speaking. An actor, who is not insecure or does not fear failure, can experiment without any qualms. There have been phases in between - and I have done almost 505 films - when I did feel the monotony. But I immediately took cognisance of the fact and cut down my work. There was a time when I was doing 23 films a year, but now I do four or five. The benefit of being a trained actor is that it works in your favour when international cinema looks at you. International filmmakers haven't cast me because I am brown-skinned or because I fit into a stereotype. For example, my role in Silver Linings Playbook was already a part of the book on which the film was based and in my upcoming Hollywood film, The Headhunter's Calling, I play a neurosurgeon. So, I think that they look at the actor's range, professionalism, comfort level and also, popularity. I may have had two scenes in Woody Allen's film, but how many people in the world can claim to be on the same set as the legendary filmmaker? For me, life is how I look at it. I think this is the most glorious period of my career, and it's just the beginning.
What is your response to those who dis Indian actors who want to work in the West and also to those who don't consider the Oscars as a benchmark of excellence?
I am very proud of Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone, Irrfan, Anil Kapoor and Suraj Sharma, as they have all done brilliant work internationally. In fact, Om Puri was the flag-bearer when it came to being a successful Indian actor in the international arena. People who discourage other actors who are making a mark in Hollywood by asking them why they are hankering after it, are basically lying. They will give their right arm to be a part of the crowd at the Oscar ceremony or a Hollywood film. Every art house actor is dying to work in out-and-out commercial films, every actor wants to work with a superstar. Similarly, all those Indian actors, who look down upon the Oscars and say that they are not important, are basically lying.
You have been prolific as an actor, but as a businessman, you have had to deal with failure...
Fifteen years back, I got into television production because I wanted to explore new territories. But I didn't know how to deal with cost and expenses. I was the first person in my family to venture into business and also the first person to see Rs 10,000 at one go. I thought my ideas were enough to help me succeed, but I realised that one has to have business acumen as well. I almost went bankrupt. But then, when I had come to this city for the first time, I just had Rs 37 in my pocket, a degree and a gold medal from the National School of Drama. I thought to myself that I will never go back into that state. That is when I did the play, Kuchh Bhi Ho Sakta Hai, in which I laughed at my failures. In fact, that play took away the fear of failure from me.
Does fighting against the odds come naturally to you?
While shooting for Hum Aapke Hain Koun...! (HAHK), I suffered from partial facial paralysis and my doctor advised me to take two months off. But we were in the middle of shooting that famous scene where everyone in the family is playing passing the pillow. I went to Filmistan Studio and told Sooraj Barjatya (director) that I am ready to shoot. That's why the drunken scene from Sholay, essayed by Dharmendra, was incorporated in the film. If you see that scene, there is not a single close-up. What I am trying to say is, life is all about the attitude you adopt. People are ruined by the sycophants, who surround them. I have no chamchas. You will never see my entourage checking into a hotel on my behalf. I like doing things myself. People who take themselves seriously are comical. When you don't forget your roots, you only see progress in everything you do.
You have been the chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification in the past. Do you think the way the body has been functioning in the past two years is worrisome?
The rulebook followed by the Censor Board is old. It is very easy to criticise a body or a person. That's because criticism gets written about, while positive news is not. I think certification is important and not censorship. Today, you can pick up the phone and see anything in the world without any restriction. I believe that change needs to be implemented soon. Having said that, India does live in the smaller cities, too. Our country is not just about the five metropolitan cities. Changing the rule book is a long process. One can't give black and white suggestions.
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