Anupam Kher on abrogation of Article 370: ‘My mother keeps thanking PM Modi, she wants to make her house there’

Anupam Kher has opened up about the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from Jammu & Kashmir and has said that the memories of pain don’t go.

Actor Anupam Kher had a “great Diwali” as he got to celebrate the festival with his fraternity friends during his recent trip to India after a gap of four months. Kher, who stars in an American TV series, has been stationed in the New York City for almost 20 months now. With a glint in his eyes, he says, “Especially when Diwali is at Mr (Amitabh) Bachchan’s house, you know that lot of people will be there. Also, in our profession, you don’t meet everybody unless there’s a function. So, it was nice to meet everyone and it’s a feeling of warmth, belonging and togetherness. I realised I’ve missed them all this while.”

Anupam Kher has revealed that 20 years of his life, all his summer holidays were spent in Jammu and Kashmir. (HT Photo)

Kher has been a part of Hindi film industry for over 35 years now, and being a Kashmiri Pandit, he has always been vocal about his concerns and views towards the community. Nearly 30 years since the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits, the actor recalls how the whole incident changed the fate of countless families.

“For me it’s not an incident, for me, it’s my being. It’s not like aap kisi kiraye ke ghar par rehte the aur aapko maalik ne nikaal diya. We’re talking about 300-400 thousand people being thrown out of their houses on the night of January 19, 1990. It’s a wound, which will always have its scar. Sometimes the wound heals but the memories of pain don’t go,” Kher continues, “It’s the resilience of these people that they haven’t gone up or picked up arms and didn’t become violent. They just learnt to cope with the situation. But that doesn’t mean anybody who was thrown out of their houses has forgotten all of that.”

While one wonders if Kher and his family have visited the valley since the exodus, the actor reveals that he has been there; however, “the last time when I went there, I was stopped at the airport and was not allowed to go any further. I’ve me mentioned about this incident in my autobiography also”.

Anupam Kher snubs the casting debate that senior actors should do older roles in films

I don’t agree with that philosophy at all. Actors are actors. Why shouldn’t a young actor be able to do the older actor’s role? Yeh kisi ki papauti thodi na hai. Yeh kya baat hui? I was 28 when I played a 65-year-old man in Saaransh. Marlon Brando was 42 when he played Godfather – a 70 years old man’s role. Nobody should question you; that’s your capability as an actor that you can do that part. An actor’s job is to challenge themselves.

So, I don’t agree with Neena (Gupta) or Soni (Razdan) on that level. I’ve great respect for both of them and I think they have a point of view, but not saying, ‘mera role cheen rahe ho’. Arrey yeh kya baat hui? All the talk about equality and all are fine, but aap actors ko yeh mat bolo ki old age ka role aapko nahi karna chahiye. Kyu nahi karna chahiye? All my life I’ve done older people’s role. I’ve played a father to Hema Malini and a grandfather to Rishi Kapoor onscreen. So, I don’t think that’s a fair thing to say.

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