B-town more professional, but impersonal: Kher

Actor Anupam Kher is against typecasting actors as comedians or villains.

NEW DELHI:

He has been part of the film industry for almost three decades and veteran actor Anupam Kher says that while Bollywood has now become professional, it has also become impersonal.

“The industry has become more professional, which is very good, but at the same time it is getting very impersonal,” Kher told IANS in an interview.

“When there were no vanity vans or mobiles, there was a lot of togetherness. People used to sit down, talk to each other and share their thoughts. But now, there is an aloofness. It is fine, but I am a people-oriented person so I do go to my co-stars’ vans and talk to them,” he added.

The Padma Shri awardee made a mark in Bollywood with his powerful performance in Saaransh, after which he did a variety of roles like a ruthless villain in Karma to tickling the audiences’ funny bone in Lamhe.

“The future of Indian cinema is very bright. Now you can make a film you believe in. You don’t have to follow a certain formula, which is very good,” he added.

“There was a time when it was difficult to imagine small films doing great business but now it is happening. Right from Khosla Ka Ghosla, A Wednesday and Kahaani — they are a proof that if small films are made well, they have an audience today and they don’t necessarily have to be art films.

The 57-year-old is against the demarcation of actors as actors and character actors. “It is very wrong to differentiate between actors or character actors. It is not there anywhere except Bollywood. People classify others as villains or comedians. I have always fought that in my life,” said the actor.

“You don’t see Robert De Niro, Al Pacino as character actors. The kind of contribution Balraj Sahani, Om Prakash, Kanhaiyalal and Mehmood have made is just unbelievable. These people were pioneers of acting and to classify them is not fair,” he added.

However, Kher is delighted to note that the distinction is slowly fading away. “It is good to see that the scenario is changing now. Good actors are demanding their pound of flesh. It is good to see that finally we are getting that acceptance,” he said. 

Published in The Express Tribune, April 12^th, 2012.