TWENTY-ONE years and 312 films later, Anupam Kher has a new screen name: Anupam P Kher. His latest production, Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Maara showcases the change. ‘‘That one’s for my father, Pushkarnath Kher. When I got the Padmashree last year, they referred to me as Anupam Pushkarnath Kher aur tab se naam judh gaya (and since then it’s just stuck),’’ he says. It’s a hectic morning at the actor-director’s Juhu acting school, An Actor Prepares. There are cheques to be signed and appointments to be kept. Information and Broadcasting minister Ravi Shankar Prasad is on the phone waiting to congratulate him on the effective theatrical promos of Maine.. National Award-winning Assamese film-maker Jahnu Barua wrote the film for Kher almost a decade ago and NFDC was initially slated to produce it. Kher took the plunge when the film body backed out at the last minute. ‘‘I had no money of my own to invest, so I asked Yashji and Aditya Chopra to back me,’’ he says. The Chopras are also distributing the film. Maine. is Kher’s ode to Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Kher plays an old Hindi professor suffering from dementia. One day, a childhood trauma becomes a reality and he starts believing he was the one who killed Gandhi. Looking for symbolism? Nathuram Godse might have physically killed the Mahatma on January 30, 1948, but the film is trying to say that Indians are killing his legacy every day. ‘‘It talks about the death of Gandhian philosophy and how we take freedom for granted in 21st century India,’’ Kher says. Gaga over Gandhi • Anil Kapoor’s Gandhi, My Father • The Great March, a documentary by Nikhil and Niret Alva of Miditech, commissioned by The Mahatma Gandhi Foundation • Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s Munnabhai Meets Mahatma Gandhi • Abhik Bhanu’s Sab Kuch Hai Kuch Bhi Nahin Kher terms this the toughest assignment of his acting career. ‘‘I couldn’t use my craft for this role. Every ailment has a physicality. But I was clueless about how to show dementia. I didn’t know how to show vacant eyes and nerve twitches,’’ he says. When interacting with doctors and observing patients suffering from Alzheimer’s didn’t help, Kher embarked on a psychological exercise. A month before shooting, he began taking morning walks on Juhu beach. ‘‘While walking, I would instruct myself to forget who I really was. I couldn’t go beyond 20 seconds, the claustrophobia gripped me. I realised that the worst thing that could happen to anyone is losing one’s own self,’’ he philosophises. The role made many physical demands on the actor. Kher had to undergo physiotherapy for two months after the role was over. ‘‘My neck was full of knots. But it was worth it,’’ he grins. On a personal level, Kher shares a deep regard for Gandhi. ‘‘He was adamant that we should be ourselves. I’ve chosen to be myself in spite of all the ups and downs in my life,’’ he declares. Currently, life’s looking good for Kher. The failure of his directorial venture Om Jai Jagdish is history. Kher’s busy writing a romantic comedy to roll next year. In the meantime, he’ll be seen in films like Jaan-e-Man, God Tussi Great Ho, Shaadi Se Pehle, Ghaple Pe Ghapla, Khosla Ka Ghosla and Sooraj Barjatya’s next. Post Bend It Like Beckham and Bride and Prejudice, he’s acting in two other international projects: Mistress of Spices and Hope and a Little Sugar. Making a dig at last year’s unceremonious ouster from the post of Censor Board Chief, Kher says, ‘‘I don’t know why people confuse discipline and professionalism with curbing freedom.’’ He points to his ‘‘biggest achievement’’—the acting school. ‘‘A place like this needs a dictator. That’s me. And nobody can throw me out from the chairmanship of this place,’’ he chuckles.
