Anupam Kher is one of the most renowned actors in Indian cinema and has developed a filmography that stretches around the globe. Having collaborated on over 450 films and 100 plays, established an international acting school and received countless awards, Kher is an actor that has developed a rich lineage of experience that few in the industry can touch. Above all else, Kher is a passionate advocate for individuality and challenging himself on and off the screen. DFI’s editorial team got a chance to speak with this acting legend at DTFF 2012.

DFI: How did you make the shift from an icon in India to an international actor?
Kher: I think that it’s important as you grow as a person to take risks, moving out of your comfort zone. It is important to have a fear of failure because if I am comfortable in this room, I can live my life. However, if I step out and face hardship, this is where I grow. For me, to do something in my career as an actor, it is important that it helps me evolve. I am my own benchmark of brilliance. People will tell you that you’re brilliant, but brilliance only comes from experimentation. There is a line that says ‘If you try you risk failure, if you don’t try you ensure it.’ It is important for me to meet different people, encounter different circumstances as they enrich me as a person. This is why the many worlds of film appeal to me. My training has also helped, there are very few trained actors in India, and when I work abroad it makes use of all that I have learned.

DFI: Do you share the knowledge and experience gained abroad?
Kher: Absolutely, knowledge is nothing if it isn’t shared. There is no point to gain knowledge just for oneself. You become more knowledgeable when you impart it, because when sharing this knowledge you filter and refine it—this is why teaching is the best form of learning.

DFI: What attracted you to the film?
Kher: The director was one of the main reasons, Mr. De Niro of course and the quality of the role. Indian actors in international cinema have been in the background. But this was a film with Hollywood A-list actors, and my character, Dr. Cliff Patel, plays an important element in the screenplay and development of the narrative.

DFI: What were some of the challenges and highlights of making the film?
Kher: I don’t think in English, I think in Hindi. So for me to do an English language film I have to translate it in my mind and convince myself that this is my personal language. This process takes a lot of time. Also, I did not go to an English school, so I have to learn the body language of a person who has lived abroad. An Indian who has lived abroad has different body language than an Indian who has lived in India. I also wanted to make it very difficult for myself to deliver my personal best, because I believe that competence is the biggest enemy of brilliance. You know when you are competent you can’t be brilliant, because you know you will accomplish certain goals regardless. I needed to start from scratch. The more I engage in difficult things, the more I explore various nuances of the character.

DFI: You have mentioned before that being true to yourself is an important part of your practice, how has this influenced your career?
Kher: Personally I feel that my biggest achievement is not as an actor, but as a person. Cinema and this profession can change you—my success is that I have not let it change me. I wrote a book that is a bestseller, it is a self-help book called ‘The Best Thing About You Is You!’—so clearly I cannot write a book about this topic and not be myself. I am glad that this film has happened to me at this stage in my career—I am delighted.

DFI: What were the motivations behind transposing your life experience onto the stage?
Kher: I celebrate failure, failure is powerful if you approach it in the right manner and learn from it. Success is boring and one dimensional. I feel that if you come first in your class, you must come first constantly or you will have a sense of defeat the moment you are second. But if you are fifty-seventh in your class, and then become thirty-eighth, twenty-ninth, and sixteenth–there is always progression happening. I celebrate failure, as it is very important to me, and that is what I talk about in my play.

DFI: In terms of your legacy, what would you like to be most remembered for?
Kher: I will answer this question in thirty years. There are two things I don’t believe in, the first is deciding what I should be remembered for as I am still working, and the second is having any regrets. I will not have any regrets when I am eighty and you ask me this question again, but I might be able to tell you some moments that are the highlights of my life.