Actor Anupam Kher, who in 2019 released his autobiography titled Lessons Life Taught Me Unknowingly, recently released a book detailing his account of the lockdown. The actor says that writing the book, Your Best Day is Today, was not something that he had planned on. “I did not think about writing this book. I’d penned my autobiography and thought that it would take three or four years to write my next book. But during this Coronavirus pandemic and lockdown, I thought I should write about what is happening with me and with the world,” he says.

A major reason for writing it, he shares, was to spread positivity and help people remember that the pandemic has affected everyone and it is important to stay positive. “I am an optimist. It is important to remain positive in these times. There is so much uncertainty and fear. So I thought the best thing to do is to write what you feel. And in those notes there were positive situations. That is how I started writing it.”

He says he started by writing about what was happening to him, but then family members, including his mother and brother, tested Covid-positive. “Having gone through that situation, I thought if I write about it, people will identify with it,” the Hotel Mumbai actor adds.

The 65-year-old says the lockdown helped many people realise the importance of family. “In these sad times, so many positives came out. We realised that we run after so many things for no reason. We discovered that what we need is our family, our near and dear ones, and a working Wi-Fi connection, of course,” he concludes with a laugh.

Anupam Kher is celebrating 30 years in showbiz with a second book, Lessons Life Has Taught Me Unknowingly. He hopes to wrap it up in the next six months. “It will have between 15-20 chapters to encapsulate all the lessons I have learnt from my parents, the movies I've made, the people I've journeyed with, my plays, soon-to-air TV show Kuch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai and even my experiences as a life coach. It's a book for youngsters so while the content will be meaningful and serious, the writing will be light. Things that I had once laughed off as trivial, turned out to be life-changing experiences," explains the actor-turned-author reveling in the fact that his debut novel, The Best Thing About You Is You!, has already run into 14 editions and has been translated into 10 languages.

At 59, Anupam continues to be a busy actor, shuttling between big budget commercial films like Singham Returns and the Shaukeen remake and smaller films like 21 Topon Ki Salaami which is about a municipal worker's last wish to get a 21-gun salute at his funeral. “I've worked in 487 films over three decades and I plan to work for the next 30 years," he asserts confiding that he recently met Mahesh Bhatt and Pooja to discuss a sequel to their popular rom-com Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin in which he played a father who urges his daughter to run away with her true love even as she's getting ready to marry another man. “They told me that part 2 will require a new cast. The only one they couldn't think of replacing was me."

Interestingly, his debut film in which he played a 68-year-old school teacher also celebrated its 50th anniversary yesterday but prod him on a Saaransh sequel and Anupam shakes his head, “I would still be a contender to play Masterji BV Pradhan and still look younger than my reel age, but while Saaransh will remain an evergreen film with a universal theme, there's nothing new we can offer in a sequel. But there are references to Saaransh and the lessons it taught me in my book."

And what were those? “Compassion," he quips. “That's what Mahesh Bhatt pointed out was the most dominating quality about this characters, minutes before I faced the camera for my first shot. I also learnt that you can be a success even with an unconventional role but it's important to re-invent yourself at every step.
That's what has kept me going for 30 years and will keep me going for the next 30."