Best day FORWARD

JITESH PILLAAI CHATS WITH THE MAN WITH A HUNDRED EXPRESSIONS, ANUPAM KHER, WHO ALWAYS HAS A UNIQUE TAKE ON LIFE

- JITESH PILLAAI

I FIRST MET ANUPAM KHER AS A ROOKIE REPORTER. He had a child-like intensity back then that still exists even after 500 films. From commercial cinema, art films, small screen to Hollywood, he has done it all and is hungry for more. From an actor, he has also become an author and a teacher. He’s just released his third book, Your Best Day Is Today, which has been well received. In our interview, he calls himself a student of cinema, of life, and says life can surprise you any minute. Excerpts from a straight-from-the-heart interview...

You’ve written your third book Your Best Day Is Today. What is the similarity between acting and writing a book?

There is no similarity. But I use my observation of life in both — when I am playing a character and when I am writing a book. By nature, I am not an author. I just felt 10-12 years back that I have something to share because of whatever I went through or whatever I learnt from life, I just felt that I should express myself. None of my books are based on borrowed emotions or borrowed experiences, they are an extension of what I went through. My books are also my observation of my own self, the world and the people around me. When you are acting it out, it’s your interpretation of one character. But when you’re reading a book, it’s the reader’s interpretation of what you’ve written.

Does writing come easily to you?