The best thing about him is him

Straight talk

Bollywood actor Anupam Kher’s career spans nearly 420 films and 100 plays. A former chairman of the censor board and National School of Drama Society, his remarkable performance in films like Saaransh, Ram Lakhan, Dilwale Dulhaniya Lejayenge and Khosla ka Ghosla have won him accolades both from his admirers and critics.

Metrolife speaks to him and discovers that no one can really get enough of this actor who has now donned the hat of an author with his book The Best Thing About You is You.

“My life was my reference point. The knowledge came from my personal experiences in life and  the way I dealt with it. In fact, my play Kuch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai was a turning point and it became the genesis of my book,” says Anupam while in the City to launch his book.

He adds, “My play gave me the courage to write about the power of failure, but the book is not the play... It’s different.”

Besides setting up his own foundation which helps underprivileged children, the versatile actor has also launched an acting school -- Actor Prepares.

The actor says, “It’s a self-help book, which will help people discover their own strength rather than looking for it outside.” Anupam believes that marketing your talent has become very important in  today’s times. “In these times promoting yourself is very important. You need to market yourself and your strengths and should not rely on others’ perception about you,” he says. So what was the idea behind writing the book? “As an actor I share my life with people and I wanted to write a book which will make a difference to peoples’ lives,” he replies.

But does he really think a successful person can inspire people through his book? “I believe any celebrity’s life can inspire anyone. If you have made it big from zero, you shouldn’t shy away from telling people how you got there. Actors like Charlie Chaplin and Amitabh Bachchan are great success stories for people to derive inspiration from,” he explains.

And when the writing bug attacked, Anupam wrote just about anywhere, right from airports to travelling between shots for his films. “I really didn’t choose a specific place while writing,” he says.

And how about writing more books in future? He replies, “Yes, if it happens naturally. Right now I’m just enjoying the success of my book. I’m not a professional writer; something has to inspire me to write. I have to write something which makes a difference to people’s lives.”