Anupam's rendezvous with Ang Lee

The actor, who has just returned from Shanghai, speaks to Khalid Mohamed about his next film Lust, Caution.

HIS BIO-DATA BULGES.. 320 films, stage and TV shows, film direction-production and more. Now, he has just returned from Shanghai after shooting for Ang Lee.. the Oscar-winning creator of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and Brokeback Mountain. Anupam Kher on the turning point of his career, in conversation with Khalid Mohamed

How did you snag a role in Ang Lee’s Conquest, Lust? Farah Khan, who had choreographed a Chinese film, knows Rosanna An Chee, a casting director who sent her an email. Farah’s husband Shirish Kunder followed this up.

I then sent Rosanna a five-minute show reel of excerpts from Bend it like Beckham, my Channel 4 film The Second Generation and the TV series Spooks, plus stills of my get-ups in Daddy, Shola aur Shabnam, Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Maara and Khosla ka Ghosla.

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It isn’t a blink and you’ll miss it role. Is it?

I was there for 10 days. Since I’m a key component in the pre-climax scenes, I was told by the unit that my role couldn’t be edited or shortened. I’m playing a jewellery shop owner in Shanghai. I was offered a handsome amount of money but once I was finalised, I said, “I would do it for free.”

There was no audition, I was sent my portion of the script with the film’s synopsis. Actually, I would have even accepted a walk-on role. I felt honoured, deeply honoured.

Were any other Asians considered for the part? Not that I know of. Before leaving for Shanghai, I was told that the lead was being played by Tony Leung (In the Mood for Love, 2046). Tang Vei, the female lead, was selected after auditioning a thousand stage actresses. I’m playing an Indian Muslim. Oh by the way, his name is Khalid.

What was your exposure to Shanghai like? It was my first trip to Shanghai. It’s like a combination of Bombay and New York. It’s even bigger than Bombay, jazzier. But I don’t think Bombay can ever become another Shanghai which has retained the characteristics of the original city.

After landing, I was at the studio. Ang Lee was there, with his cameraman Rodrigo Prieto, outside the jewellery shop. Ang Lee hugged me. He’s small built, incredibly polite. I was extra-enthu. I told him that I’d worked out the look of my character, complete with a beard. He said, he wanted me to be the way I am.. the fake beard was out.