In this special interview with Anupam Kher, Mr. Kher introduces his new character Vijay, a restless veteran who finds renewed purpose as he trains for a triathlon. Played by Anupam Kher, Vijay is inspired by his own resilience and the unexpected encouragement of a young companion, portrayed by Mihir Ahuja. Chunky Pandey appears as Vijay's loyal friend, adding warmth and motivation to Vijay’s journey. Do watch Vijay 69 Now On Netflix.
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#Vijay69 #AnupamKher #Anupam #Kher #PujaTalwar #Netflix #Worldnews #Entertainment #Oneindia #Oneindianews
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00:00Sir, lovely to speak to you. It's four decades since Sairansh. In that, you actually played a much older person than your 28-year-old self.
00:10Do you think it kind of has come full circle?
00:13Circle is far from getting complete. I am somewhere in the middle of the circle.
00:19But it's wonderful to keep rediscovering yourself. It's wonderful to keep reinventing yourself.
00:28There are millions and millions of characters. Even if we take somebody at the age of 69, there can be so many facets to the age of 69.
00:41What Vijay 69 does in our film, it takes a facet of a man who does not want to let go of his dreams because he thinks dreams don't have an expiry date.
00:57Which is a fact. Which is a fact as an individual of mine also and yours also. And that's the mindset everybody should have.
01:05But it has come a full circle that I was 28 when I played a 65-year-old man's role. I am 69 now. I am playing a 69-year-old but the energy of a 28-year-old boy.
01:18Absolutely. I was saying on that. Because reinvention, sir, it's very interesting.
01:24You started off with Saran. You gave us the alcoholic dad of daddy. Then we had Dil Hai Ki Maanta Nahi.
01:31Then you know you've done everything. Karma ka that Dr. Dang aaj tak nahi boota sir. Api tak rongte khade ho jaate hain.
01:37But you've never restricted yourself to characters, to films and constantly reinvented. And your good friend Mr. Anil Kapoor is the same.
01:47But aaj kal hum dekhte hain, even if they are touching 60, they don't want to let go of being the center figure.
01:54What do you think? Do you all operate from a sense of security? A place of security?
01:59I think many years back, my father took away the fear of failure from my life when I was in 9th standard.
02:07He said failure is an event, never a person.
02:10When your own father gives a suggestion to you or a learning like this to you when you are 14,
02:18then that is the most empowering thing that can happen to you.
02:22So my trying out various things, I do it with full gusto, because I have no fear of failing.
02:31Because zyada zyada kya hoga? It is the false image of people that who want to keep an image,
02:37which is itself so self-binding, that they become the victims of their own, prisoners of their own image.
02:48So they may want to do things, but their image tells them, nahi nahi, this is not who you are.
02:55I feel, I see lot of younger generation especially saying, using this phrase quite often, that's the way I am.
03:03I will not say that is the way I am even when I am 95.
03:06Because the moment you say that is the way I am, you have already found your limitations.
03:14So I think it's easier to rediscover yourself, reinvent yourself, when you just want.
03:18And also I think I am living with myself.
03:20I want to make myself a very interesting person, otherwise it will be so boring to be with myself.
03:26So woh hi yeh picture dekh ke laga, because there's you, there's also Chunky Pandey.
03:31And you are helming the film along with Guddi Maruti, it was so nice to see her back on screens.
03:36Yes.
03:36It is just such an interesting narrative, especially in an industry that is so ageist.
03:41Yes.
03:42Aapne haali mein Rocky Bal Goa ki thi, aapne Oonchai ki thi, and the film won an award and what a great celebration.
03:52So I think no longer are we restricted by who drives people into the theatres or cinema.
03:58It's the story and it's the person.
04:01Pooja, it's our individual choices which makes us who we are.
04:04Ji.
04:05I was like that when I was 28 also.
04:08I'm the same person, the same no fear of failure.
04:12I'm not saying that I don't feel sad and low and depressed and demotivated, I do that.
04:17But then I don't decide.
04:20I also get into self-pity, I do also.
04:23But then I need to rise out of it.
04:26Ji.
04:27Because if you don't do things, I always wanted to do things differently.
04:30Because meri aur koi pehchaan thi nahi, I was not very good at studies, I was not a very good sports person.
04:37So mai suchta tha ki chhote sehar mein, being the forest department clerk's son, how will I make my mark?
04:44So I constantly wanted to be different.
04:47But now you can be different being a criminal, you can be by a thief etc.
04:53I wanted to be different that what people are going to do, I will do the same thing differently.
04:59So it's very fascinating that I get to do a film thanks to Akshay and of course Netflix and YRF.
05:08That they came up with a film where the hero is 69.
05:13This whole definition of hero is changing now and it needs to change.
05:17Hero is not somebody who sings songs and hero is not somebody who fights.
05:23Hero is somebody who breaks his own image and wants to do something.
05:31So I have treated all my characters from a hero's point of view.
05:36Whether it is Saransh, whether it is daddy, alcoholic father, dil hai ki maanta nahi whatever.
05:41He is the hero, that's the way he is.
05:44Aamir Khan comes into his daughter's life
05:47and he feels that he is good for her rather than that other idiot.
05:51So I approach my life because I look at my life without wanting to sound arrogant or idiot.
05:57From a hero's point of view, I'm a hero in my life.
06:00I came from a small town with 37 rupees in my pocket to the city with only dreams.
06:07And today I am talking to Pooja Talwar about my life.
06:10No, it's a fact.
06:12We are all running triathlons in our life.
06:16The problem is we don't notice our triathlons.
06:18My father ran a triathlon for 59 years of his life.
06:23Then he retired and things like that.
06:26We are all triathlon runners.
06:28As long as we don't stop running, I think there is always a possibility of reaching a horizon.
06:33Sir, you were never a sports person.
06:36Either you are giving fitness goals to everyone.
06:38Because I got injured somewhere.
06:41My PT teacher, I was in 8th grade.
06:45I was running in the ground in the school.
06:47My PT teacher told me to stop.
06:48If you run alone, you will come second.
06:53His PT teacher's name was Sada Singh.
06:55He didn't forget me.
06:57So I think you have to achieve something and to be able to be asked different questions,
07:04you have to get out of your zone.
07:07I had to.
07:08I never knew how to swim.
07:10I learned swimming at the age of 68 last year.
07:15Because I wanted to do mostly my shots of swimming myself.
07:20Wow.
07:20And I thought if I get the script and I cheat in swimming and ask them to duplicate all my shots,
07:30save my image, do something like that.
07:32I will just do a close-up.
07:34I would have fooled myself.
07:36And I would have not challenged myself.
07:38So running, cycling was very tough.
07:43I used to think that I have muscles at the age of 60.
07:47Yes, I used to think, what is the need?
07:49Why do I have to go to the gym?
07:51What difference does it make?
07:51Then I realized that if I want to reinvent myself, physically needs to also look different.
07:57So then I started going to the gym and now I do this regularly.
08:01But in a film, you have to do the same shot again and again.
08:05So I might not be doing triathlon the way it is happening.
08:09But if we have to do this crossing the river or swimming in the river for some time,
08:15the director is not happy or the light is not good.
08:18So you have to do it all over again.
08:21So that was tough.
08:22Cycling shots were really tough.
08:25Because you had to do it again.
08:26And my director, Akshay, we had started calling him up.
08:31One more Akshay Kumar.
08:32Akshay Roy.
08:34One more Akshay Roy.
08:36Because he used to do it again and again and ruin it.
08:38But then the result is seen.
08:40I saw the film yesterday and I was very, very moved by it.
08:44Absolutely.
08:44And sir, it's so interesting.
08:45You're with YRF again.
08:46Because I remember,
08:47Dar, Lamhe, Dilwale Dulhania.
08:50Iconic movies till...
08:52You know this...
08:53Chandni.
08:54Chandni.
08:54The timeless recall.
08:57Why is there no time for films these days?
08:59Recall.
09:00Because people want to take shortcuts.
09:06When cinema becomes only business.
09:08Only business.
09:09Business is important.
09:10But when cinema becomes only business
09:14and the storytelling goes out of it,
09:16then it's a shortcut to business.
09:18Do you think that's where we are lacking?
09:20Because I mean...
09:23But the silver lining is that
09:25even in this whole thing,
09:26there are films like this being made.
09:28There was a film like Laapata Ladies.
09:31There is another film that I did recently,
09:33which was on Zee5 called The Signature.
09:37It was a beautiful film.
09:38There are so many other films.
09:40So it's not like that.
09:42We should keep moving forward.
09:44I'm part of so many,
09:45all the films that you named.
09:47And I'm very proud of all the bad films
09:49that I have done also.
09:51But it's an individual choice
09:53that what I want to do at this stage,
09:55what stimulates me and my performances,
09:58I'm trying to make my job difficult now.
10:02Because I feel that I have done so much work.
10:04I'm on my 542nd film
10:07that I am very competent as an actor.
10:11But my also issue is that
10:13if you are very competent,
10:14the easiest thing is to remain competent,
10:17never become brilliant.
10:20Competence is the biggest stop block
10:23or a speed breaker for brilliance.
10:26Because you think,
10:27yes, this is an interview,
10:29I can do this.
10:30But you saw the film yesterday,
10:31you did the homework on it.
10:33All your interviews are not great.
10:35Because you have to do something.
10:37Now it's okay.
10:39All the films can't be great.
10:41So I will say that life is 80% monotony
10:44and 20% excitement.
10:48As you said, 545 films.
10:50I mean, I would put you in the list
10:52of Mr. Dev Anand and Clint Eastwood.
10:55There's enough forever young.
10:57What's the one thing that,
10:58I mean, when you've learned something,
11:00how do you unlearn what you have learned
11:02to relearn again?
11:04Because your ego is your biggest enemy,
11:07which does not let you unlearn.
11:10I approach a film as if I know nothing.
11:14So I will read my lines on the script.
11:16Main wahan chala gaya,
11:18fir mujhe laga ki main rukh jaun.
11:21Yeh dialogue hai.
11:22So I'm not going to read because
11:23varna mujhe aisa seeda immediately aayega.
11:25Main wahan gaya aur fir mujhe laga
11:26ki main rukh jaun.
11:27So I said, no, this is making me competent.
11:31I don't want to be competent.
11:32So I will read the script as if I am
11:36trying to read this Dev Nagri,
11:38trying to understand.
11:39So it takes a little time.
11:40Also, we have the luxury of doing
11:42one film at a time now.
11:45Wo luxury hai, wo usse hota hai.
11:48But it's fun.
11:49I think I'm having a greatest time
11:50of my life now.
11:51That's why I always say that
11:53I have begun now.
11:55Because I've understood.
11:57Earlier, I was running fast nowhere.
11:59Now I'm running.
12:00I'm walking slowly somewhere.
12:03So that I think is a great
12:06sense of achievement and thankfulness.
12:09Sir, like your character Vijay Vishwas,
12:11one time you felt you were really
12:13pushing your limits.
12:16Aisa koi, aap log bahut nokhe honge,
12:18bahut instances hain.
12:19Agar aisa kuch jo yaag aata hai.
12:21At that time, you really had to push yourself.
12:24In the film?
12:25No, in life.
12:26In my life?
12:27In cinema.
12:28Doing a 65-year-old man's role in
12:29Saharansh was pushing.
12:31I also was one of the first actors
12:34who broke this myth of typecasting.
12:36Because that was very prevalent.
12:38Aap ek role karo, sab poori zindagi
12:40aap ussi role mein katam ho jaoge.
12:42Mereko bahut saare logon ne bola,
12:44arre tu ab 65 bas parbaad.
12:46But I did Karma, as you said.
12:49I did Khosla Ga Khosla.
12:51I did A Bedness Day.
12:52I did Daddy.
12:53I'm a Hindi-speaking guy.
12:54I did Bend It Like Beckham
12:56and did a series called New Amsterdam Broad,
12:59where I was playing a neurologist
13:01with all the difficult English-speaking
13:04English words.
13:07So, wohi na, if you try,
13:10you risk failure.
13:11If you don't, you ensure it.
13:14Which is true.
13:14But, sir, do you think India now,
13:16for the new generation,
13:18because unke paas social media,
13:19they've got the various platforms.
13:20You had nothing.
13:221984 mein kuch nahi tha.
13:23Globalization mein nahi tha.
13:24I will answer this question
13:27like Shashi Kapoor said this
13:29to Mr. Bachchan in Diwaar.
13:33Mere paas talent hai.
13:36Maza hai.
13:37Maza hai mujhe.
13:39Awesome, sir.
13:40Awesome, no?
13:41Because…
13:42At the end of it, you need talent.
13:44Of course, social media can enhance it.
13:46Social media can take you to other places.
13:48I feel a little worried about…
13:50Not worried.
13:51I am sure they will take care of it.
13:53But, humare mein log bade udaar the.
13:55Audience was very forgiving, generous.
13:59Aap karte jale jaate the,
14:00wo phir bhi aade the,
14:01dekhene achche hain.
14:02Aaj kal audience is very tough on newcomers.
14:06First of all, they own their own
14:09social media handles.
14:11So, it's five minutes into the film
14:13and they can easily say,
14:14bakwaas.
14:16Sometimes, they say it
14:17to just get noticed.
14:19But, at the end of it,
14:20what works for you
14:23is talent and hard work.
14:25Toh mere paas talent hai.
14:27Wow.
14:27And also, your career has been
14:29simultaneous with the growth
14:30of many filmmakers, sir.
14:31Whether it was Mr. Mahesh Bhatt
14:33and all, you know.
14:33Yeah.
14:34What was that time like,
14:35agar aaj aap compare kar rahe ho?
14:37If I take you 40 years back,
14:39what is the one thing
14:40you would want to bring from that
14:42to this time?
14:44Innocence.
14:45Innocence.
14:46Innocence of cinema.
14:47Innocence of people.
14:49Today, there are great things
14:52that are happening.
14:53The technology has become different.
14:55The digital has become different.
14:56The platforms like Netflix are there.
14:58Your films can go to 194 countries.
15:02They're amazing.
15:03There is a discipline
15:04which has come in.
15:05Everything.
15:07And I'm very happy and proud
15:08to be part of this whole scenario.
15:11We have educated people,
15:13running this industry,
15:14people running this interview,
15:16who know what they are doing, etc.
15:20But innocence is gone.
15:22Today, our friendship,
15:25you spoke about Janki.
15:27We didn't have to work hard
15:29on the friendship part of it
15:30in BJ69
15:32because we were already friends.
15:33We had gone through that pre-mobile,
15:35pre-Vanity Vans days
15:37when we used to sit under a tree
15:38and get our makeup done.
15:41We had conversations.
15:43One was talking.
15:44The other person was listening.
15:46You were not talking at people.
15:47You were talking to people.
15:49You were not finishing a shot
15:51and going into the phone
15:52or to your Vanity Van with your managers
15:54and with your PR people and everything.
15:58There was one-to-one connection.
16:00We were having dinner or lunch.
16:02We were actually eating
16:03and talking to each other.
16:04Right now, we are eating
16:07and our phone is, etc.
16:08The other actor is there.
16:09So, I'm not saying it's an observation,
16:11not a criticism.
16:13But it is there.
16:28But as long as we go back to our roots,
16:31we will always have the richness
16:34of films, of anything.
16:36So, it is a time
16:38which has given you lots of things.
16:40Can you imagine me and you
16:41talking like this on this Zoom thing
16:44and actually having a conversation?
16:46They survived.
16:47We survived the two years of corona.
16:51So, there are brilliant aspects of it.
16:54That's why I said the innocence is gone.
16:57Because we've become smarter now.
16:59That's why maybe they are called smartphones.
17:03The smartphones have made us
17:04very foolish people, sir.
17:05Sadly, because you see
17:07the way anyone panning nowadays,
17:09inflated box office numbers,
17:11nobody is paying attention.
17:12They are thinking
17:13whose review will go first.
17:14You know, all that.
17:15And also, even as Farah Khan also said,
17:17nowadays, it's become very clinical.
17:19You don't have that one-to-one connect.
17:21Earlier, there was.
17:23No.
17:24Chunky Pandey had to sit with me in the frame
17:27and we knew that they are friends for years.
17:30We didn't have to work hard for that.
17:32Of course, he was playing his own character,
17:34probably, when I was playing my own character.
17:36But it's believable
17:37that they have been together
17:39for 30 years.
17:43Today, there's a craft.
17:44Even in friendship,
17:45you...
17:46I just talked about the wall.
17:49You, Sholay, Dharmendra and Amit.
17:52It seems that they must be friends.
17:54We weren't working on that.
17:57You understand?
17:57So, Sangam...
17:59I'm giving you random examples.
18:01Rajendra Kumar, Raj Kapoor.
18:04It seemed that they were men.
18:06And they were a past and a history behind them.
18:10As long as we keep ourselves rooted
18:12and don't get bogged down by this
18:15onslaught of things happening to us
18:18and start making...
18:19I mean, I'm on social media most of the time
18:23and I'm very happy
18:24and I enjoy myself on social media.
18:27But you have to make a choice
18:29as to what you want in social media.
18:31I get to see a lot of things from it.
18:34I get to see a lot of things.
18:35I keep myself alive
18:37because I see so many young people.
18:39Everybody can act now.
18:40According to social media and Instagram reels,
18:43everybody can act.
18:45I did a workshop yesterday with 60 plus people
18:50to promote this film.
18:51It was the most fascinating one hour
18:54that we spent together.
18:55Wow.
18:57There was a 96-year-old man
18:59who came to the workshop.
19:01I was amazed.
19:04So I think
19:07it has a possibility of giving you...
19:09You can learn from it.
19:10I get to learn so much from social media.
19:13I spread...
19:15My whole thing is about optimism.
19:17It gets effect.
19:18We talked about my mother earlier
19:19before we started this interview.
19:21My mother's videos are viral
19:23because there's an authenticity in them.
19:25Absolutely.
19:26But it made a difference
19:27in so many people's lives also
19:29because they also started looking at
19:30their mothers and their fathers
19:32from a point of view.
19:33Anupam Kher makes a photo of his mother.
19:36My mother is also like that.
19:38So even if we don't make a reel about her,
19:40my mother is like that.
19:41She corrects so many things.
19:42She speaks like Dulari.
19:44My mother also speaks like Mamta.
19:46My mother also speaks like Aarti.
19:48So the relook at their parents
19:51is the achievement of my videos
19:54even if it's 0.1%.
19:55But that difference is there.
19:57Absolutely, sir.
19:58Lovely, sir.
19:59What's next on the bucket list?
20:00Since this was all about bucket lists.
20:02We'll talk about the bucket list
20:04after 20 years.
20:06I'll go back to school.
20:07It's too early.
20:09I mean, I won't hang up my boots.
20:10Like you, I'm not hanging up my boots.
20:12Yes.
20:1318 till I die.
20:14I'm not hanging up my boots.
20:15There's no need.
20:17Doctor, you're coming to see my movie in the evening, right?
20:19I'll call you back in an interview.
20:22You try.
20:24Sorry, I had to take my phone.
20:25Doctor, call me.
20:27Last question.
20:27I want to ask this for myself.
20:28In four decades,
20:30545 nearly films,
20:32what was the biggest star-struck moment?
20:34Yours.
20:34People get star-struck when they see you.
20:36What was yours?
20:37When I first met Dilip sir, Dilip Kumar.
20:42First time.
20:44On the set of Karma.
20:46I have seen all his films.
20:49Ran away from school.
20:50Broke my nose trying to buy film tickets of Gopi.
20:57I've seen Ram Aur Shyam 18 times.
20:59Madhumati, I don't know how many.
21:0122 times.
21:04I have read about him.
21:06I've seen when I was a drama school student.
21:08When I started learning what Marlon Brando, Paul Mooney, etc.
21:12When I started understanding what actual acting is.
21:15And I realized we had an actor in India
21:18who has been doing such great work from 1950s.
21:22So when I met him on the set of Karma,
21:25I had been shooting the whole night
21:27for another film called Arjun by Rahul Ravel.
21:30He had to drop me at 2 in the night.
21:32But he dropped me at 6 in the morning.
21:34He kept shooting the whole night.
21:36I went straight to the SL studio.
21:38And I saw Dilip sir coming at 11.
21:42His first slipper came out.
21:44I still remember.
21:45His first white slipper came out of his Mercedes car.
21:48Then white trousers came out.
21:51Then Dilip sir left in high speed, slow motion.
21:55And I was saying, wow!
21:56This is the most fascinating moment of my life.
22:00And then I kept looking at him.
22:03He was introduced to me.
22:04I shook hands.
22:05He says, I have heard a lot about your film.
22:07I haven't seen it.
22:07I will watch it.
22:09The way he speaks.
22:11And then I was like this.
22:14So much so that Mr. Ghai took me away
22:17and told me, you will get me killed, Anupam.
22:20You are the villain of the film.
22:22The way you are looking at Dilip sir,
22:24how will you do this acting?
22:26What the dang!
22:27Slipper punch!
22:28So I said, sir, Anupam Kher is a mad fan of Dilip Kumar.
22:33Dr. Dang won't be scared of Rana Bishu Pratap Singh.
22:38But my experiences with Dilip sir was amazing.
22:42That was a star struck moment.
22:44And the other was, of course, when I met Robert De Niro
22:46for another film.
22:48Awesome, sir.
22:49And you are the legend of our times.
22:51Thank you so much.
22:52I will call my dad and tell him that he is a big fan of Dilip sir.
22:57Please give my regards to him also.
22:59I will let my parents too.
23:00Big fan of yours.
23:01And I have watched Dilip sir's films since childhood.
23:03Please show this film to your father.
23:05Yes, we will watch it.
23:06It will be released tomorrow.
23:07Please show it.
23:08From 8th November.
23:09It will be released on Netflix on VJ69.
23:11Absolutely.
23:13Thank you so much, sir.
23:14All the very best, sir.
23:15And happy mom for my regards.
23:17Thank you so much.
23:18Yes, please.
23:19Thank you, sir.
23:20Bye-bye.
23:20Don't miss out.
23:21Log on to OneIndia.com for more updates.