Owe my achievements to country, people: Anupam Kher

Kolkata, Mar 13 (PTI) Veteran actor Anupam Kher, whose career spans almost four decades, said what he has achieved today is because of the love and admiration of people.

The 68-year-old actor, the recipient of two national awards apart from many other laurels, was speaking at a panel discussion organised by cultural organisation ‘Khola Hawa’ in collaboration with the Union Ministry of Culture at the Indian Museum here on Sunday.

During the discussion, the Kashmir Files’ actor recalled his long association with cinema, and said “In the past 38 years, I have acted in 534 films. From Shimla to Chandigarh to Mumbai, it has been a long journey’.

Anupam Kher was honoured with the Padma Shri in 2004 and the Padma Bhushan in 2016 for his contribution in the field of cinema and arts.

“I have been born in a free country…. I believe courage comes from truthfulness and a sense of respect”, the actor, who was born and brought up in the Himachal Pradesh capital, said.

The veteran actor has a strong background in theatre and has acted in several plays. He is an alumni of National School of Drama and was also its chairman.

He also worked with Robert De Niro in the 2012 film Silver Linings Playbook’, and described the Hollywood superstar as the “world’s best actor”.

Kher’s Saaransh’ and Utsav’ (released in 1984) cemented his position in the film industry as an actor portraying variegated roles and the versatile actor did not look back ever since.

Kher, having acted in films like Lamhe’, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’, Bend it Like Beckham’, The Accidental Prime Minister’ and The Kashmir Files’ to name a few, said he had always been a person who believed in the spirit of freedom.

“I have been born in a free country…..I believe courage comes from truthfulness, sense of respect,” the actor who was in his late 20s when he played the role of a 65-year-old man in Saaransh’ said.