By Subhash K. Jha

Mumbai, Sep 2 (IANS) When an actor prepares for a role he doesn’t think of the outcome. When Anupam Kher took on the role of a Kashmiri Muslim in “Dhokha” people of his clan of Kashmiri Brahmins objected strongly.

“Yes, I’m a Kashmiri Pandit in real life. But in ‘Dhokha’ I play a Kashmiri Muslim who’s a victim of the establishment. It’s a role that required me to look at the tragedy of fundamentalism and extremism from the other side. And I don’t mind if it offends some people. I’m an actor hungry for experience. I’m ready to play anything from a killer to a comedian to a corpse (’Buddha Mar Gaya’).”

In fact, it has been a bumper week for Anupam with two back-to-back releases - “Dhokha” and “Victoria 203″. He is doing Ashok Kumar’s role in a remake of the 1973 hit “Victoria 203″.

“And look at the contrast in the two parts on the same Friday. ‘Dhokha’ is a stark serious look at extremism. I play a traumatised father of a woman accused of being a human bomb. In ‘Victoria 203′ I’m this aging guy with a roving eye, an incorrigible skirt chaser,” Anupam told IANS.

“Some people might object to an actor of my stature playing such a lech, just as some people objected to a Kashmiri Brahmin playing a Muslim. But acting gives me the freedom to explore avenues galore. I can move from one extreme to another. I was the victimised father in Mahesh Bhatt’s ‘Saraansh’. I’m a victimised father in ‘Dhokha’ today.”

About his skirt chaser’s role in “Victoria 203″ Anupam says: “I really enjoyed that role. Om Puri and I had great fun playing the roles originally done by Ashok Kumar and Pran. But I didn’t watch the original. I wanted to interpret it in my own way. But we retain the innocence of the two small -towners from the original.”

Anupam also put in a guest appearance in last week’s “Heyy Babby”.

“In ‘Heyy Babby’ I was playing the character of Shah Rukh’s dad from ‘Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge’. It was a spoofy homage to one of the biggest hits of Indian cinema.”

Joginder Tuteja, IndiaGlitz [Wednesday, August 29, 2007]

Anupam Kher continues to be the busiest character actor in Bollywood today. This is very much visible with him seeing as many as five back to back releases this season.

Starting off with playing a title role in BUDDHA MAR GAYA that released on August 17th, he was also seen in a very special guest appearance as Mr. Malhotra from DDLJ in just released HEYY BABYY.

This is not all as this weekend sees him enacting a principal role in two films simultaneously - DHOKHA and VICTORIA NO. 203. Both the films belong to different genres since DHOKHA is a dramatic outing while VICTORIA NO. 203 is an out and out comic fest.
A week later, i.e. on September 7th, he would appear in a sensitive film titled APNA ASMAAN. He plays a doctor in the film who is required to treat an autistic child.

In the coming months, he would be seen in not less than a dozen odd flicks with films like LAAGA CHUNARI MEIN DAAG, DUS KAHANIYAAN, MY NAME IS ANTHONY GONSALVES, A WEDNESDAY and JAANE BHI DO YAARON leading the pack.

Source: IndiaGlitz