Veteran actor Anupam Kher is one of the most respectful members of Bollywood. The multi-faceted actor is known for his nuanced and versatile acting skills. He made his directorial debut back in 2002 with Om Jai Jagdish, starring Anil Kapoor, Abhishek Bachchan, and Fardeen Khan in titular roles.
Nearly, two decades later, earlier in March this year, Kher announced his second directorial, Tanvi The Great on his 69th birthday. In an exclusive interview with Pinkvilla, the actor opened up about the long gap in his directorial venture and also refuted claims of three Khans being his first choice for his directorial debut.
Anupam Kher reflects on long hiatus between his directorial ventures
In an exclusive interview with Pinkvilla, Anupam Kher was asked what took him so long to bring his next directorial venture. In response to this, he shared, “Because I didn’t have a story to tell. When I did Om Jai Jagdish, it wasn’t my story and I was very excited ke main bada successful actor aur kisi ne mujhe direction ke liye kaam diya hai aur main 3-4 actors ke saath kaam kar raha hoon to main bahut excited tha to vo maine bahut passion se banai thi (I was very excited that I’m a successful actor and somebody has given me work in the direction and I’m working with 3-4 actors. I was very excited and passionate about it) but it wasn’t my story.”
Anupam Kher refutes claims of Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Aamir Khan being first choice for Om Jai Jagdish
Anupam Kher further continued by refuting claims of Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Aamir Khan being the first choice for Om Jai Jagdish. “While you’re talking on this, I read it in a lot of recent things ke Anupam Kher wanted Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Aamir Khan for Om Jai Jagdish. Never! Never, the cast was always Fardeen, Anil ji and Abhishek,” Kher revealed.
Watch the full interview here:
Reflecting on his long directorial hiatus further, the veteran actor stated, “So, I didn’t have a story, 3-4 years back I got an idea of this story and it took me 3-4 years to work on it and I recorded the music first because it’s a musical to ek saal laga mujhe music banana mein with Keeravani sir (M. M. Keeravani) and Kausar Munir and once that got shrewd then I did the shooting of the film.”
Kher remained tight-lipped on divulging more details about the film because he plans on unveiling it in due time.
Anupam Kher announced Tanvi The Great on his 69th birthday
Earlier this year, on his 69th birthday on March 7, Anupam Kher took to his social media handle and officially announced his next directorial, Tanvi: The Great. Making the official announcement, he dropped a heartfelt video with his mother, seeking blessings as he embarked on the new journey.
Kher accompanied the post with a caption that read, “TANVI THE GREAT: Today, on my birthday I proudly announce the name of the film I have decided to direct. Some stories find their path and compel you to share it with the world! The best way I thought to start is by taking the blessings of my mother in her temple with my father’s pic blessing me too. Have been working on this musical story of #Passion #Courage #Innocence and #Joy for the last three years (sic).”
The veteran actor added, “And finally starting shooting tomorrow on the auspicious day of #Mahashivratri. Birthday is the best day to CHALLENGE yourself! Please Send me your love, best wishes and blessings! Om Namah Shivay! #TanviTheGreat #Musical #Film #Passion #Courage @anupamkherstudio (sic).”
Take a look:
Directed by Anupam Kher, Tanvi The Great is produced under the banner of Anupam Kher Studios.
