On August 20, actor Anupam Kher appeared in an interview with Times Now Group Editor Navika Kumar on her show Frankly Speaking. During the interview, Kher touched on several topics, including the boycott trend that has been happening in several films and explained it does not hurt the film. “If the film is good, the people will see it,” the actor said.
During the interview, Anupam Kher said, “They have to live with it now. They have to live with this fact now that I am a nationalist. I love my country. Anybody who loves my country, I will love that person. Tomorrow if I feel Rahul Gandhi loves this country, I will be his good friend. Tomorrow if Sonia Gandhi Ji feels this country is the best thing that happened to her, I will be with them.” Denying saying that the Congress leaders do not love the country, he said, “The tweets of Rahul Gandhi that I have seen, the only thing he does is criticize the people who are doing good work.”
When Kher was asked if he turned towards foreign films because his movies were not working well in Bollywood, the actor said that that was not the case. He said, “My last film, The Kashmir Files, has worked very well at the box office. I have been part of many blockbusters in Bollywood. Even in Kartikey 2, though my role was of only 10 minutes, I am happy that it is working well at the box office.”
Navika asked Kher about the series of flops that Bollywood has given in recent times. She pointed out that 27 out of 30 recently released films did not work at the box office. Kher said, “During the pandemic, something changed in the audience. Everyone was affected at some level.” He added that OTT played a vital role in how Indians perceive entertainment. He said, “When people were done with the Indian cinema on OTT platforms, they watch Malayalam, Tamil, Korean and cinema of other languages. They unknowingly found that there was much more to entertainment than what they have watched previously.”
Speaking about Laal Singh Chaddha and Rakshabandhan, which did not work at the box office, Kher said, “I did not watch either of the films. Maybe they were not good films. Maybe RRR, KGF and Pushpa were better films and were related to people. We need to introspect about what we want to do. Do we want to make bubblegum films or fake films? Are we going to look into what is more real, more India-centric? All the south Indian films are very India-centric.”
‘No one thought Kashmir Files would do so well’
Speaking about The Kashmir Files, he said, “No one had thought a film that was made with a budget of 15-20 crores with no songs and based on genocide would work. At the same time, Bhool Bhulaiya 2 did over 150 crores of business. Even Gangubai did well. Those films that did not do well, maybe they need to look into it in a different manner. Maybe Aamir Khan took five years to make that film, and in those five years, the audience changed.”
During the interview, Kher mentioned that he had charged 1/5 of his fees for Kashmir Files because he wanted to do the film. “I have been working on the cause for the past 30 years. Do not teach me what I should do and not. You are not coming to know what has happened during that time. Stop telling me what to do. It is not going to make any difference.” Terming the allegations that Kashmir Files resulted in attacks on Hindus in the valley as ‘nonsense’, he questioned if the terror attacks happening around the world and killings of Muslims in the valley were because of Kashmir Files.
He added, “In that way, the films that showcase rape, murder, curse words should be deemed as cause of such incidents happening in the society. Anurag Kashyap’s films have curse words. Should we blame his films for children as young as eight years old using curse words?”
‘I am not part of mainstream films’
Kher pointed out that he is no longer part of mainstream films as offers have not come. He said, “I have done Karan Johar, Aditya Chopra, Sajid Nadiawala films. I am not blaming them for not offering me roles. I found my path during this time. I have done a film named connect in Tamil. I am sure it will do well as it is a horror film with a story around pandemic.” He mentioned other projects that he was a part of in recent times and said, “I am sure these films will do good at the box office.”
Kher said he could have been depressed because his old friends were not casting him, but during that time, he found more paths. “When a door shuts, so many windows open. I am rediscovering myself as an actor. Suddenly so many things have been happening. Reinvention is important.”
‘I am disappointed by Anurag Kashyap’s statement’
Speaking about the statement that filmmaker Anurag Kashyap made recently that he would be okay if RRR goes for the Oscars, Kashmir Files should not be selected to represent India. He said, “I am disappointed by the statement he made. He can vouch for RRR. It is a great film. But he has no right to say about Kashmir Files that it should not be selected? Why? It has been loved by critics. It is a well-made film about genocide. [His] statement was in bad taste.”
‘Boycott does not harm the films’
Speaking about the statement Arjun Kapoor made, Kher said, “I know Arjun personally. I don’t know to whom he was angry. But he has to be careful what he speaks. We all need to. The boycott does not harm the films. A few years back, people wanted to have controversies around their films so that people would go and watch them. I know it; I am part of the system. A few years back, in 2015, Aamir Khan made some controversial statements, and after that, his film Dangal came, which was an all-time hit in India.”
He added, “Everyone has freedom of expression. If someone says they do not want to watch the film, it is their right. But telling them that we will do something about it, that not the right way. If the film is good and the audience like it, there is no way it will not do well.”
When Navika asked about people’s comment that Kashmir Files worked well at the box office because PM Modi endorsed it, Kher said, “In that case, his biography starring Vivek Oberoi would have done well at the box office. Did it?” He added, “It is childish to say if their films did not do well, but ours did, it was because we favour Modi Ji. You are a bad loser [for saying so].”
He said what anyone has said in the past is going to come back and bite him. “I made a tweet during previous government [UPA] that the petrol price has increased and my driver would not come on a cycle. I am still paying for the tweet. People question me why I am not speaking now.”
