Anupam Kher says he doesn’t let the weight of stardom rest on his shoulders, because carrying it would only leave him feeling isolated. The actor is back on stage after a few years with ‘Jaane Pehchaane Anjaane,’ a play that mixes humor and music to explore loneliness and relationships. Kher and his troupe are on a 45-day tour of the US and Canada, performing in several cities and winning praise from audiences along the way.
Anupam Kher says an ivory tower makes loneliness frightening
Speaking to PTI during a break from a script reading session with director Gajendra Ahire, Anupam made it clear that stardom is not something he lugs around. “I do not carry the burden of Anupam Kher on my shoulders,” he said. Reflecting on his tour of North America, he explained that the star in him would begin to look very isolated if he stayed away from everyday spaces, and added, “Anupam Kher as a star will start looking very lonely if he does not sit in this lobby where there is bread and butter shop, a sushi bar or travelling by buses.” He also pointed out that a life in an ivory tower makes loneliness a scary prospect, but he doesn’t live that way. “If you live in an ivory tower, loneliness is frightening. I don’t. I live a very normal life,” Kher said.The play marks Kher’s first attempt at staging a musical, and audiences in the US responded warmly to it. The veteran actor said that Indians living abroad feel a strong emotional bond with the country, which makes the experience special for them. “People outside India are emotionally attached to India and when they see a story, especially being done by a popular actor on stage, they feel closer to the person and closer to the subject,” he said.
Anupam Kher’s four decades of theatre
Kher said he has been choosing plays that connect with audiences on an emotional level. In a career spanning four decades, he has stayed committed to theatre, appearing in productions like ‘Saalgirah’ with his wife Kirron, ‘Kuch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai’ and ‘Mera Woh Matlab Nahi Tha’ opposite Neena Gupta.“I have done Shakespeare, I have done Bertolt Brecht, I have done stylised plays. But when I am doing plays after leaving the movies, I like to do plays which are easily identifiable by the audience. A father in the audience can watch and sort of say, ‘Oh, this is my story’. So, luckily the response has been the same,” Kher said.‘Jaane Pehchaane Anjaane’ looks at relationships and loneliness within a present-day middle-class neighbourhood, weaving together the stories of a widow, a widower, a young paying guest and a woman dealing with a mid-life separation. Through its characters, the play touches on the experiences of three generations: elders living apart from their children, those in middle age, and the young.“The revolution in mobile phones, and internet and everything, has led to a loneliness epidemic. Many countries have announced it as an epidemic, and it’s happening in India also. We have reached a stage where smiles and hugs are replaced by emojis. We have lost, I am not saying it cynically, because we live in a world which is changing, and we have lived, but it has taken away a certain amount of human touch,” he added.
Anupam Kher’s play marks Swaroop Sampat ’s return to theatre
‘Jaane Pehchaane Anjaane’, written and directed by Gajendra Ahire, also brings Swaroop Sampat back to the stage after almost twenty years. In the US, the play was brought to audiences by Star Promotion Inc, a Houston-based company run by Indian-American Rajendra Singh.
