Anupam Kher stages Kuchh Bhi Ho Sakta Hai at GD Birla Sabhagar on Saturday. Picture by Rashbehari Das

A packed GD Birla Sabhagar broke into a loud applause as Anupam Kher wrapped up his highly-charged one-man show Kuchh Bhi Ho Sakta Hai as part of Odeon 2010, in association with t2, on Saturday evening. Kher shares his journey with t2...

Director Feroz Khan said it was your idea to do a stand-up act, which finally took the shape of Kuchh Bhi Ho Sakta Hai. What made you want to share your personal life with the public?

There were a few reasons. First, I was out of job at that time and, to be honest, I did not want to do the kind of work I was doing. I wanted to take a break. Second, I am an optimist. Be it as a drama student or even during the days when I was looking for work, which were horrible, I was inspired by the autobiographies of great people. Especially the first half — the part before they became successful. When I used to read about the kind of difficulties they had gone through, I used to have hope.

Hence, I decided to do this play and talk about my failures so that I could inspire people. It may be my life but people can see glimpses of their own lives in mine. The play is about hopes, dreams and the fear of failure. And what’s so scary about baring your soul to the public? You liberate yourself, actually.

Is it difficult to bare your soul before people because you also talk about failures and not just accomplishments?

It’s extremely difficult. You see, when you tell your story to five-six people sitting in your drawing room or over a cup of tea it is very intimate, but when you are sharing it with 800 to 5,000 people it is a completely different ball game. Every time I do the play I have to live those moments; I cannot fake it. That’s probably why I chose to enact my life and not Bernard Shaw’s. That’s also probably why it works.

Going up on stage alone and pulling off a personal solo act.... How does it feel?

No matter how many shows I have done, every time I am on stage I am a nervous wreck. Not for sharing my life because it is nothing special... I am nervous as an actor. It is one man with two hours and 15 minutes to perform… why will people be interested in it? When I interact with the audience, shake hands with them, shift characters, I don’t look nervous but I am. Because it is a craft. It is a scripted play of 137 pages and I stick to that. Since my play is conversational and is directed at the audience it has an informal feel to it, yet it is very formal at another level because it is all there in the script. But training helps, experience helps, being in the movies for many years helps.

At the end it is about your attitude towards life. I don’t take myself seriously and you also have to remember that it is my life, it is my truth, and I won’t forget it. It is only when you are telling a lie that you tend to err. Also, not having the fear of failure helps a lot, because what’s the worst that will happen? People will not like it. So, this act is all about honesty because it is my life.

How much of the real Anupam Kher has been held back from us?

Well, everyone has moments in their lives that they keep private. That apart, I can say that I have had the courage to open my life, all my hopes and failures, to the public. But I did it for myself, not for the public. I wanted to feel tall by turning what others call my ‘shortcomings’ into my strength.

You often write ‘Kuchh bhi ho sakta hai’ in your comments on Twitter. Is this your motto in life?

Absolutely. Kuchh bhi ho sakta hai is now my philosophy of life. I am the proud owner of the brand!

Do you prefer acting in films or in theatre?

Well, I think I am a fortunate actor who has managed to get some brilliant roles in both theatre and cinema. Basically, you do theatre to reinvent yourself as an actor, so I am happy that I have had great roles even in films, be it Khosla Ka Ghosla, A Wednesday, Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara, Daddy or my first film Saaransh.

But there is no greater thrill than performing before a live audience and making a complete ass of yourself because there is no retake like in films. You can’t do anything about it. It is important to test yourself as an actor and you can do that only on stage.

What style of acting do you teach in your film school?

My first words to the new batch of students every year are the same — be ready to make a complete fool of yourself and there is no alternative to honesty and hard work. There is actually no particular kind of acting. There is only good acting and bad acting (laughs). You are either good in both films and theatre or you are bad. There is no difference between the two jobs.

You have journeyed from the National School of Drama to the world of films and back to theatre. How has it been?

It was all about reinventing myself as a person, because only when you do that can you reinvent yourself as an actor. There is also much more to life than just cinema. If I feel like doing a play, I do it; if I want to act in films, I do that.

What’s keeping you busy apart from Kuchh Bhi Ko Sakta Hai?

I am opening my school, Actor Prepares, in New York. So, I am busy with that. I have done the film Yamla Pagla Deewana, which was interesting, and I will be starting a motivational coaching programme from March.