Theatre keeps me grounded: Anupam Kher

Whenever Anupam Kher wants to test the actor in him, he turns to theatre. “Doing theatre is like testing your acting skills, cinema spoils you with all the takes and retakes. Until you perfect a shot you can go on giving as many shots as you want. But in theatre it’s just one go, so you got to be perfect at that one go. Whenever I think I need to refresh myself and go through a test, I seek theatre,” says the veteran actor.

“Theatre helps an actor remain grounded,” he adds, “It not only helps you become a better actor but also sharpens the edges and brings you in direct contact with the audiences. You need guts to do that.”

For those of you who love trivia, the actor is heading to Bangalore for his 227th time on stage. He will perform Kuch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai, which is based on his life. “People can connect to this play because it deals with life. Though I play my life, people will find something to relate to. There is insecurity, passion, failure, success and it shows one how to laugh at ones failures,” reveals Kher.
The actor had ventured into direction a few years back, but has not made any such effort since. “Om Jai Jagadish flopped and that demoralised me initially. But not anymore. So, if I have something to say to the world or send out a message, I will surely make a film,” informs the actor. “Though, if people need to watch anything preachy, they would rather watch an Astha channel or listen to bhajans rather than go to the theatres. Messages should be camouflaged in the form of entertainment. Indian film-makers are like dream merchants, they sell dreams and the audience likes to watch that,” elaborates Anupam.
Good news for aspiring actors here is that Anupam has plans of starting a branch of his school, Actor Prepares, right here in Bangalore. “The school is under construction right now. I was keen on a branch in Bangalore because we get a lot of talent from here,” he confirms. 
t_taniya@dnaindia.net