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Meet actor who got bitten by acting bug in 9th grade, stole Rs 100 from mom for course, slept at railway stations and played Shah Rukh Khan's father
This veteran actor played an old man's role at the age of 28 in his debut. Can you guess which celebrated artist we are discussing here?
There are actors, and then there are character artists who continue to entertain the audience for decades. Those character actors don't need stardom to prove their acting skills and are still admired for their immense contribution to Hindi cinema.
Today, we are here to discuss a veteran actor who once put out his resume on LinkedIn. Despite being a part of over 500 films in his illustrious career, he believes that the 'greatest role is always the next one'. Meet actor Anupam Kher, who got bitten by the acting bug in 9th grade, stole Rs 100 from his mom for a course, slept at railway stations, and played Shah Rukh Khan's father in a film.
Anupam Kher got a big break in his debut film, Saaransh, in 1984. Yes, 1984, the year he mentioned in his recent Instagram post, was a "make-or-break year" for him. Kher was 28 years old when he aced the performance of playing a 65-year-old man in Mahesh Bhatt's directorial. The veteran actor has been quite vocal about his struggling journey before entering showbiz. Before that, let's take a lookback at how he discovered acting as a passion.
In an interview with Humans of Bombay in 2019, Anupam Kher reminisced about his journey and revealed that his calling to enter the acting field arrived when he participated in a play in 9th Standard. Kher stated that he initially couldn't deliver his lines properly, so they were passed on to someone else who then forgot during the play.
The Saaransh actor added that he "made something up" in his "broken" English, leaving the audience in splits.
During the same interview, Anupam Kher further spoke about how he once stole money from his mom, Dulari Kher, for an acting audition. Kher recounted that he witnessed an advertisement for a four-year acting course in Chandigarh for which he needed Rs 100 to give an audition. The senior actor admitted to lying to his mom about going for a picnic instead.
However, destiny was in his favor, and his audition was accepted. Later, he pursued the course in the city.
Anupam Kher then shifted to Bombay, where he was hired as a teacher in a drama school. The school had a "small space to teach and a tiny room to stay." However, Kher managed to teach while giving auditions and performing in plays. At one time, the actor was broke and had no work. During his struggling phase, Kher lived on beaches and slept on railway platforms.
In his latest Instagram post, Anupam Kher spoke about sleeping at railway stations in his initial career. "Had slept on railway stations at times because I didn't have money to rent a room."
Anupam Kher is best known for movies like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Khosla Ka Ghosla, Apna Sapna Money Money, and many more. Anupam played the role of Shah Rukh Khan's father in Aditya Chopra's 1995 directorial venture, DDLJ. His adorable camaraderie with SRK is still cherished among its fans.
On the work front, Anupam Kher will now be seen in Vijay 69. In the quirky slice-of-life film, Kher is playing the role of a 69-year-old man, Vijay, who plans to contest in a triathlon. The upcoming film also stars Chunky Panday in a crucial role.
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