Veteran actor Anupam Kher has added another prestigious accolade to his illustrious career by winning the Best Supporting Actor award at the UK Asian Film Festival for his performance in the Indo-Canadian film Calorie. The award holds deep personal significance for Kher, who described the role as emotionally demanding.
The Story Behind the Film
Calorie revolves around the devastating impact of the Kanishka Air Tragedy on a family. Air India Flight 182, traveling on the Montreal-London-Delhi route, was brought down mid-air by a bomb on June 23, 1985. The aircraft plunged into the Atlantic Ocean off the Irish coast, claiming all 329 lives on board, including 268 Canadian citizens and 24 Indian nationals.
"The story was very personal for our director Eisha Marjara as her mother was on the flight. I had to go beyond acting skills and craft to feel the emotions for the film," Kher shared.
Kher's Acting Philosophy
Despite the emotional weight the role carried, Anupam is thrilled that his performance has earned him well-deserved recognition. "Achhe roles ko karne ke liye aur zyada mehnat karni padti hai, and when you have done so much work, there is a possibility that you may become competent. I feel competence is the biggest enemy of brilliance. So, I treat every film as my first. In the last decade or so, I have shifted gears to break the monotony. I choose work where I get to dig my teeth a little deeper," he says.
Representing India on Global Platforms
More than four decades into a remarkable career, the thrill of winning an award has never faded for Kher, and it hits differently when the achievement comes on an international stage while representing India. "It may sound dramatic but actors don't get to officially represent their country globally like how sportspersons do. So, whenever I work abroad, I do say 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' before every work. Though I am not a brand ambassador for the country, I am somewhere representing 1.4 billion Indians," he insists.
Reflections on Troll Culture
However, Kher acknowledges that basking in such victories is no longer as straightforward as it once was in the film industry. "I was just talking to Anil Kapoor that people have stopped celebrating life and their wins because they think usko bhi log kuch na kuch bol denge. We used to have such amazing Bollywood parties earlier by Yash Chopra or Subhash Ghai, we don't have them today anymore kyunki logon ko celebrate karne mein darr lagta hai ki kahin na kahin koi kuch galat nikaal lega, and that fear is there rightfully so. We live in such a time and we need to adapt ourselves, but takleef to hoti hai kabhi kabhi," he reflects.
