Anupam Kher on ageism in Bollywood: A big producer once said ‘isko lene se film purani lagti hai'
Anupam Kher opens up on why seasoned actors like him, Jackie Shroff, Boman Irani are getting more work today, and how being an actor helped him as a director
Anupam Kher marked his directorial return after 22 years this year with Tanvi The Great. In the film, he also acted alongside seasoned actors Jackie Shroff, Boman Irani and Pallavi Joshi. In the current film scene, senior actors are getting meaty roles in terms of quality and they are also increasing in number. Many of the veteran actors are doing even more films than the new talents.
Ask Anupam Kher the reason behind this changed perspective of the industry and he shares, “Apart from being seasoned actors, we are also passionate people about life and everything that we do. We live life and that is what’s important. We are not made of plastic, we live a real life. Hamare ko takleef hoti hai to hoti hai, hum usko camouflage nahi karte hain. We also tell each other if we are not in the right state of mind or whatever we are going through.”
However, the actor-director adds having also seen the flip side of it: “A big producer once told someone about casting me that ‘isko nahi lete hain, isko lene se film purani lagti hai’. I was horrified when I learnt that from someone very close to that producer. But heera to heera hota hai, wo kitna bhi purana ho jaye, uski keemat kam nahi hoti.”
Having been an actor for over four decades, he admits that when he worked as a director on Tanvi The Great, he was able to connect better with his actors due to it. “I am an actor-director, so I know what an actor’s insecurities and vulnerabilities are,” he says, adding, “I always feel that actors apni aatma khol ke performance dete hain, they show naked emotions. A lot of people don’t understand that, so it was important for me as a director to give my actors a safe environment to deliver that. Even before the box office, we gained a lifetime of experience from this film.”
Working with his seasoned contemporaries along with newcomer Shubhangi and Karan Tacker, Anupam shares that he tried to maintain a positive work environment for them on that film. “The most important factor during the shooting was love and compassion. I gave a lecture on March 9, 2024 to the entire unit on the first day of our shoot that nobody will scream and shout in this film from the crew. We believed in that philosophy and everyone would have all the meals together. If we would wrap up early, we would go to the market together, and it wasn’t just with actors, but also with the crew,” he shares.
