Anupam Kher: As an industry, we tend to celebrate mediocrity a bit too much

Senior actor and FTII chairman, Anupam Kher feels that actors should welcome criticism and not let it bring them down.

An experienced actor, Anupam Kher is someone who has delivered stellar performances in theatre, Bollywood as well as Hollywood. The 62-year-old aims to get better with every role he plays, and so, when he sees mediocrity being celebrated, which according to him happens a lot in the Indian film industry, it kind of bothers him.

“In our country, we celebrate any mediocre film as if it is something great. If a film is just about decently made, people praise it so much and make it look like some kind of a blockbuster,” says Kher, who was recently appointed the Chairman of Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune.

The Silver Linings Playbook (2012) and The Big Sick actor also feels that artists get carried away by the positive reviews they get for their performances. “Whenever an actor acts well, people are like ‘Oh look, he is such a brilliant actor’. It’s like you are doing a favour to the audience by acting well. It’s your job to act well. You don’t go to a doctor, who gives you medicine, and then come out by saying, he is a good doctor,” he says.

While many in the industry believe that the “unnecessary criticism” that actors are subjected to is a nuisance, Kher isn’t afraid of it, and says his colleagues shouldn’t be wary of it either. “I think it’s a great thing that someone from a small town can go on social media and express his/her opinion about a film that they didn’t like. Why shouldn’t they feel important? And besides, as it is, you are reading that particular tweet in your luxury car. You have all the benefits; even then you’re worried about how people are criticising your film,” he says.

The actor, in fact, credits this attitude of his towards work for his long run in the industry. Kher has been part of more than 500 films. “It’s because I am not afraid of criticism or whether my film will be a hit or a flop. Many of my movies have gone with the wind, but that did not pull me down. I have been part of some amazing projects. Also, God has been kind, and people as well, for loving all those films. But it is also down to the fact that I’m a risk taker. That’s why people in industry now have certain expectations from me, that if they sign me, they are like ‘He will do the role well anyway,’” concludes Kher.