Anupam Kher marked his directorial debut with Om Jai Jagdish in 2002. Now, after 22 years, the actor is set to don the director’s hat again for his next, Tanvi The Great. Ask what took him so long to get in the director’s chair, and Kher says, “I was waiting for a story to inspire me and make me feel that I should share it with the world. Om Jai Jagadish wasn’t my story. I was acting at that time and I was just excited about being a part of films in another capacity. But after that, I decided that if I had to direct a film again, the story should come from within.”

The 69-year-old informs that the idea of Tanvi The Great came to him about four years ago and its shoot started earlier this month. Ask how he has changed as a director since Om Jai Jagdish, and Kher says, “I’ve seen more life since Om Jai Jagdish. The kind of cinema that I want to make should have joy and heartbreak.”

The film is a musical that will have Oscar-winning composer M M Keeravaani helming its soundtrack. “We have been working on the film’s music for the last one year. It was around his Oscar win when I called him. In 10 minutes of hearing the script, he said yes,” says the Uunchai (2022) actor, who has been flying to Hyderabad every two months to finalize the film’s music.

He adds, “For me, it was very important to have the music of the film ready before I started shooting. It helps the film stay true to itself. Mr Keeravaani is also doing the background score, because I can’t have a different person doing it.”