Anupam Kher is a star and a star maker, too. Having been associated with showbiz for decades, he has a rich filmography boasting more than 500 films across national and international languages.
In an interview with Pinkvilla, the veteran actor also accepted that he still gets rejected. Read on to know more!
Anupam Kher says he will be remembered as a teacher than an actor
In an exclusive chat with Pinkvilla, when quizzed about facing rejections, Anupam Kher was quick to state, “Abhi bhi milte hai (I still face rejections).” Further sharing how he deals with them, The Kashmir Files actor firmly exclaimed, “They don’t have the guts to reject me!” Kher added, “I don’t suit their character, or they can’t give me the amount that I am asking for. Or they are trying me. I have done smaller roles and continue to do so.”
Referring to his peers and friends like the late Dilip Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar, and Kishore Kumar, he opined that we don’t remember people so much. “The idea is not to take yourself seriously and enjoy the journey. Don’t worry about the destination,” Kher said.
Talking about the departed stars of B-town, the Dabangg actor added that we make them a trend for one day on social media. “It was Irrfan Khan’s death anniversary yesterday; it’s Rishi Kapoor’s today. We don’t remember them. It’s only their friends and family who remember them. Rest of us follow the trend out of guilt,” he opined stating that he is not being bitter about it but just stating facts.
Watch the interview below:
Conversing about dealing with rejections, he shared, “The way I have led my life, the way my family has brought us up, we discovered that today is important. The journey is much more important than the destination. I have understood that your today is much more important than your tomorrow. How does it matter?”
According to him, the world will go on. “Maybe I will be remembered more as a teacher than as an actor because the school will keep producing great actors and teachers, and it will carry my name longer than me as an actor,” he concluded, adding that he would love to be remembered as a teacher as it is much more important than the actor in him.
Anupam Kher recalls auditioning for the film Gandhi
In the same interview, the host informed the veteran star that popular theater artist and casting director Dolly Thakore told him that Kher had gone to audition for the role of Jawaharlal Nehru in the 1982 biopic Gandhi. Adding to this, the actor clarified that he wasn’t offered any role.
The senior actor told us, “I went for that rose, dressed as Nehru, and when I went to his office, director and producer Richard Attenborough was telling Roshan Seth (by keeping his hand on the latter’s shoulder) ‘I’m so happy to meet you, Roshan.’ So, I told Dolly that you told me to audition for this part. But nothing happened.” He further recalled that he dubbed one line for Gandhi in Hindi, for which he was paid Rs 3000 back in the day.
On the work front, Anupam Kher is currently filming for the movie Chhota Bheem and the Curse of Damyaan. However, he is done with the shoot of The Signature and a sports drama titled Vijay 69.
