Suggested Topics :
Here’s Why Anupam Kher Posted His Résumé on Instagram
Anupam Kher recently caught his followers off guard by sharing his CV on social media. However, instead of focusing on his many accolades, it reveals his secret to success — a curious mind and an insatiable hunger to learn.
Having completed 542 films across Bollywood and Hollywood, Anupam Kher is one of India's most prolific actors. But rarely does one see a Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri awardee post their résumé on Instagram, that too with no mention of their awards. “I like to reinvent myself,” says the actor, who found this to be an interesting way to share his journey, though he never expected it to go viral. “Every five years, I state what I’ve done so far to say I have so much yet to do. This is not my saturation point.”
The film industry puts actors in a mould, which Kher believes is its biggest problem. He continues, “One must learn to break out of it. It’s what I've always done, and that's also where the idea of posting a CV came from. The fact that people don't expect me to make one.” Unlike a traditional résumé, however, it focuses more on who he is than what he’s done.
Ahead of the release of his new ZEE5 film, The Signature (wherein he plays the roles of actor and producer), Kher is happy to be doing the best work of his career at the age of 69. His philosophy is simple: “I am a student of life, forever learning, forever growing.” The idea is to enjoy the journey, even the failures.” And for those wondering how to build a résumé like his? “Knowledge, hunger and the ability to not take yourself seriously is the lethal combination,” he says.
Your recent post has gone viral on Instagram. But what did your CV look like when you were just starting out?
Fabulous! I came to Mumbai on June 3, 1981. By then, I had already acted in about 50 plays, besides being a gold medalist from the National School of Drama [in New Delhi] and from the Department of Indian Theatre [at the Panjab University in Chandigarh]. I was also the youngest lecturer at the Bharatendu Natya [Academy] Kala Kendra [Lucknow]. But at that time, others made their portfolios with [photographers] Rakesh Shrestha and Gautam Rajadhyaksha, and I didn't have money for that. All I had were my hopes and dreams. Still, I would drop my CV off at every [filmmaker’s] office, like Rajendra Kumar ji and Dev Anand saab. I remember he [Dev Anand] had said it was very good, but was quite amused by my then address, which read: Anupam Kher, 2/15 Kherwadi, Kher Nagar, Kher Road, Bandra East. But nobody else was interested in my CV.
Why not?
What you see today is a very dignified, sexy, bald — rather, shaved — look that one has cultivated over the years, but losing hair is very frightening. I was thin and bald, and wanted to be an actor in Mumbai in the early ‘80s. Instead, they would tell me to become a writer or assistant; it was ridiculous. That's why I posted my CV again recently. I’m not being boastful; I am simply doing my best work now.
What do you consider to be your best work?
The Kashmir Files (2022), Uunchai (2022), The Signature (2024) and Vijay 69 (2024)! I am at my creative best, and when you become creative as a person, you don't carry the burden of being who you are.
Tell us about your new film, The Signature.
It's a film that we made soon after the COVID-19 pandemic about a man whose wife is on life support, and he has to sign a do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order. During that time, everybody knew somebody who had been admitted to a hospital. My foundation [Anupam Kher Foundation] distributed life-saving equipment to hospitals back then, and we were aware of the situation. So when Gajendra [Ahire] came to me with this human-interest story, I found it fascinating. I wanted to own the film, so I let go of a certain amount of my fee and asked for the producer's title instead.
You’re one of the earliest actors to cross over to Hollywood. What’s the primary distinction between their film industry and ours?
They are much more organised, and the pre-production work is phenomenal, though we are also working towards that in India. Every actor — whether playing the role of a bartender or a man simply crossing the road — has undergone some training. So there is a certain kind of professionalism as it's not a star-oriented industry. Everybody is on time, whether it's Brad Pitt, Bradley Cooper or Robert De Niro — and everybody knows their job. I worked on New Amsterdam (2018), an American medical drama series, as someone who came from a Hindi-speaking background. I think in Hindi, so to speak all that jargon and shoot eight pages in a day, I had to wake up at 4 am and practice. To talk to them as if English were my first language — was a challenge I took on.
Did you get a dialect coach to help with the accent?
No, I did not want it to be a typical Indian parody. This is how I, along with most Indians, speak in English, so this is how it’s going to be.
Now that you’re also an acting coach, do newcomers face the same difficulties you did if they don’t look a certain way?
No. I run an acting school [Anupam Kher’s Actor Prepares] now and tell them the more different you look, the better your chances of getting cast. Of course, with hard work and talent. I'm a trained actor, so I believe in training. I used to come across many newcomers — good-looking people with pleasing personalities — who were petrified of acting because they were not trained. They were so nervous that they didn’t even look the way they did in real life. I'm sure badminton or cricket players must also get nervous before a match, but they practise their skills. But one can be an actor simply because of how they look. That's what prompted me, and I started with a small room and eight students. One of my biggest achievements now is my school. When I'm on set, and somebody walks up to me and says they’re my students from an old batch, it's a beautiful feeling. I learn so much from my students, too. Their approach and point of view are very different from mine.
Besides being an actor and teacher, you’re also an author and motivational speaker. What’s the biggest lesson you have for those who are just starting out?
Failure is an event, never a person. My life is a sum total of failures which have turned into successes. I was a 27-28-year-old boy when I landed my first film [Saaransh, released in 1984], where I played a 65-year-old man. I broke the myth of casting, working on films like Karma (1986) while also doing Ram Lakhan (1989), Shola Aur Shabnam (1992) and Bend it Like Beckham (2002). I always keep Osho's quote in mind: ‘If you try, you risk failure. If you don't, you ensure it.’
And after many years of doing just that, what’s motivating you to push your boundaries now?
My competition is with myself. I'm a learned person, so the actor in me has to be as well. I don't know if that has to do with me coming from a small town, but I still have a sense of wonder. I don't like clichés in life, so I don't want the younger generation to have to teach me to use Instagram, for example. And I'm an eternal optimist — I have no fear of failure. I get disappointed, but I always rise again.
Speaking of social media, what was it like to be a film star before the age of Instagram?
We used to actually hug people and laugh with them, not send emojis for it (laughs). We called people up to ask how they were, instead of assuming it based on what they shared on Instagram. But at the same time, social media has a platform for everyone. I use it to inspire people or get inspired, to promote my work and learn new things. For a long time, I used to read the nasty comments that it came with, but I don't do that anymore.
Tell us about some of your favourite times on set.
I'm a people person, so when I go on set, I chat with everybody. I like it more now because there was a time when I was doing two to three shifts, so I always had to rush to reach the next one. There are a lot of films that I have had a great time shooting; Lamhe (1991) was one of them — with Yash [Chopra] ji and Anil [Kapoor] and Sree [Sridevi]. I had fun making Khosla Ka Ghosla! (2006) despite the many difficulties we faced in making that film. Shooting Silver Linings Playbook (2012) with one of my favourite actors, Robert De Niro, was great. Even being part of New Amsterdam, Hotel Mumbai (2018) or The Big Sick (2017) for that matter, was fun. Uunchai (2022), too — I love working with Sooraj Barjatya because we've done so many projects together. I took on a two-scene role in a Woody Allen film [You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, released in 2010] just to be on the set and spend half-an-hour with him. When he kept quiet, I said, ‘Sir, the meter is ticking!’
Who do you wish to work with next?
All newcomers should cast me! Also, I wish I could do a walk-on role in a Clint Eastwood film. It’s fascinating that he’s 93 years old and is still making amazing movies.
Tell us about your next act.
Of course, I would like to act, but more importantly, I want to direct a film every 2-3 years and produce some too. I am also currently working on my fourth book, titled Different But no Less, which should be ready by March 2025.