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Anupam Kher on ‘The Change Within’ concept - XIX

Motivation holds the key

This column is five months old this week and it is a time to look back and contemplate. We have discussed myriad issues on topics, among which are: Who am I?; Know Thyself; Be Thyself; Managing Anger; Meditation; Chasing Happiness; How Thoughts Shape our Lives; Role Playing and many others.

But the keynote of all such initiatives is to keep practising till it becomes part of our mental matrix. If we have relationship issues, we should seek out — and practise — the relevant guidelines we have discussed. We must keep at it till the positives we are trying to achieve get ingrained in our DNA so that a recurrence will not occur. I know that many people who undergo self-improvement programmes give up because practising a new regimen gets tiresome as motivation levels flag down after a while.

Which is why, it is common for people to ask for personal coaches in fitness gyms. But personal issues are different and not amenable to such coaching: How do you know when you will have an explosive fit with your son or daughter for your personal coach to be around?

So the key, as I have maintained, lies in constant practise. No one has learnt swimming, or tennis, or cycling — or any activity — merely by reading textbooks. You have to get on the grounds, or the water, and practise regularly to master the discipline. When I was in my teens, I used to constantly wonder why monks, and many elderly people, used to chant mantras for hours. After all, I thought, if they were so spiritual then a few hours of chanting should suffice. Many years later I understood that our minds are so devilishly wandersome that they need to be focussed on the mantra all the time to remain pure.

The situation can be well illustrated in an example doing the rounds on email. A young novitiate was asked by his master to meditate for many hours at a stretch. One day, when they were on the banks of a river, the young monk asked the elder in an irritated manner what was the earthly benefit of repeated meditation. The elder smiled and asked the boy to pick up a wicker basket left on the sands by fishermen, run to the water, collect some in it and bring it to him to drink. The youth was stupefied, “How can I bring water in a basket full of holes?” The monk asked him to try. At first try, the youth brought back a few drops. “Run faster,” advised his master.

Many tries later, the youth managed to get barely half a scoop and was wondering what the exercise had to do with his question. “Observe,” said the elder monk. “You may not have collected enough water for me to drink. But have you seen how clean the dirty basket has become because of you constantly dipping it in the river?”

I think you get the moral of the story!

Anupam Kher on ‘The Change Within’ concept - XVIII

Contemplation helps us understand ourselves

On a quiet Monday, when the nation was in bandh mode, I went along an interesting stream of thought. I believe it was Albert Einstein who said that the simplest questions have the toughest answers. My thoughts went out to the genius when I was adding a new wrinkle to the eternal metaphysical question: Who am I?

I came across an interesting response which said, “I am a collection of memories.” Indeed, it was a very unusual interpretation to the age-old question, because in every sense, we are our memories. You realise the implication of this thought only when you see senility in the elderly. The man or the woman is the same person physically, but what is the person in reality when he or she does not remember who they are? Such people are not even allowed to sign legal documents, so who are they?

There is another wrinkle to this version of reality. It is very beautifully explained in the context of the caterpillar and the butterfly, which I notice is a favoured symbolism of Buddhist philosophers. “Just because the butterfly does not remember that she was a caterpillar, does it mean that she was not a caterpillar?”

In a similar vein, we often wonder if we were infants, because we have no memories of those days of when we crawled on all fours and took our first stumbling steps. But we have to rely on our elders, and photographs, to understand that we indeed were toddlers once. There is a further philosophical reference, a brilliant one, to the butterfly, which takes the breath out of the ‘Who am I’ question. It is a Japanese haiku which says, “Last night I dreamt I was a butterfly. How do I know that now I am not a butterfly dreaming that I am a man?” The conundrum in this alarmingly simple question stumps me.

The point of going back to the original question once in a while is that it is a humbling thought and it brings us closer to ground reality. In essence, we all don different avatars through the day.

As a parent, as a spouse, as a son or daughter to our parents, as a staffer in office, as a person in society — we effortlessly flit in and out of these personalities. But sometimes there is a grinding of gears. We take out our anger, suppressed on the work front, on our children. Or we unleash our troubles with our teenaged children on our helpless and aged parents. It is during these times that we would do well to ponder, Who am I, really?

It is a precursor to a more detailed review we should have every week; a sort of audit of our actions which will help us come on track. The Catholic clergy do it annually by retiring into a secluded Retreat. We too could profit from such periodic contemplation. It could help tell us who we really are.

Anupam Kher Back To His Roots!

Anupam Kher on ‘The Change Within’ concept - XVII

One of the main causes of unhappiness is that most of us choose to dwell, or daydream, about the past or the future. We do not wish to live in the present and leverage the most from it. We largely tend to look back on incidents that shaped our lives, most of it in a negative way, and constantly say to ourselves, “What if it had happened this way….?”

If we are not romanticising the past, we are trying to blame others for the way things eventually happened. I have come across so many people who have failed to accept the past; whether it is in terms of broken relationships or lost fortunes.

Unfortunately, none of them could do much about their present because their past always intruded. Depression finds an easy dwelling in the minds of such people. And then things go downhill.

Please remember that the past cannot be changed and the future is uncertain. All that we have is the present. And it is the present that can help us change the future. So the point of it all is to make the most of every moment that is available to us by applying ourselves in a focused manner in the present time. And how does one achieve such concentration? By meditation. I have briefly written about meditation in my tenth column, but I did not elaborate as there is enough literature available.

Yet, the one aspect that escapes many of us is that meditation is not just a calming exercise to be practised in sessions. Meditation is essentially about being conscious of every action that we do in our every wakeful moment. In other words, meditation is about living the moment.

One of the finest sayings I have heard, and whose origin has not been established, goes, “Life is not about surviving the storm, but of dancing in the rain.” In living each moment, we should experience sadness in sad times and happiness in happy times.

Living is not about trying to escape any experience; it is to live through it. For example, we cannot escape childhood and rush to adulthood; it is important to be a child and live through fears, animosities and yes, daydreams. I can tell you from experience that child celebrities who have not had a normal childhood have always felt that they lost out on their innocent years.

So if you are writing, as I am at this moment, immerse yourself in writing. If you are dancing, lose yourself in the dance. And if it is raining, as it might since this is the monsoon season, go out and enjoy the rain. Live and enjoy each moment as if it was your last.

There is an adage in English that if you look after the pennies, the pounds will look after themselves. In a similar vein, I believe that if we look after the moments, our lifetime will look after itself.

A Dazzling Performance by students of Actor Prepares - Ahmedabad

Anupam Kher is brand ambassador for Pratham Foundation

Anupam Kher as Goodwill Ambassador

The Pratham Education Foundation today appointed eminent actor and living legend of Bollywood, Mr Anupam Kher, as their Goodwill Ambassador. “It is a pleasure to welcome Anupam Kher as Pratham Goodwill Ambassador,” said Madhav Chavan, CEO Pratham Education Foundation.  “I hope he can help spotlight the key issues concerning education and help Pratham achieve its mission of “every child in school and learning well.”

One of the greatest actors of contemporary cinema and recipient of the Padma Shri Award, Anupam’s critical and commercial success runs over 100 plays and almost 400 films. While Anupam’s accomplishments as an actor are well known, it is his determination to use his eminence to help India’s children go to school and learn well, that has led to his appointment as a Pratham Goodwill Ambassador. Anupam will also be hosting Pratham’s informative and educational TV programme called “Angrezi OK Please.”

“I have always been drawn to the cause of children’s education which is why I have founded a School of Life Programme. I am certain a lot of synergy will be unleashed in being appointed Goodwill Ambassador for Pratham and in leveraging my media image. By becoming Pratham’s public face, I hope to augment in its fund raising, capacity enhancement and other initiatives dedicated to the cause of children’s education,” said Anupam Kher.

As Goodwill Ambassador, Anupam will undertake a planned trip to the USA later this year to meet with and encourage supporters of the organisation in association with Pratham’s USA chapter.

Veteran actor Waheeda Rahman has been a Pratham Goodwill Ambassador for several years now, and has supported the NGO by helping to raise awareness about the issues of education and learning.

Source: Hindustantimes

Anupam Kher is brand ambassador for PE Foundation

The Pratham Education Foundation has appointed actor Anupam Kher as their goodwill ambassador.

“It is a pleasure to welcome Anupam Kher as Pratham Goodwill Ambassador," said Madhav Chavan, CEO Pratham Education Foundation.

Anupam will also be hosting Pratham's informative and educational TV programme called ‘Angrezi OK Please’.

"I have always been drawn to the cause of children's education which is why I have founded a School of Life Programme. I am certain a lot of synergy will be unleashed in being appointed Goodwill Ambassador for Pratham and in leveraging my media image. By becoming Pratham's public face, I hope to augment in its fund raising, capacity enhancement and other initiatives dedicated to the cause of children's education," said Anupam Kher.

As the goodwill ambassador, Anupam will undertake a trip to the USA later this year to meet with and encourage supporters of the organization in association with Pratham's USA chapter.

Source: BIGOYE.com

Anupam Kher to serve as Pratham Education Foundation's Goodwill Ambassador

The Pratham Education Foundation appointed eminent actor and living legend of Bollywood, Mr Anupam Kher, as their Goodwill Ambassador on Jun 21, 2010. “It is a pleasure to welcome Anupam Kher as Pratham Goodwill Ambassador,” said Madhav Chavan, CEO Pratham Education Foundation.

One of the greatest actors of contemporary cinema and recipient of the Padma Shri Award, Anupam’s critical and commercial success runs over 100 plays and almost 400 films. While Anupam’s accomplishments as an actor are well known, it is his determination to use his eminence to help India’s children go to school and learn well, that has led to his appointment as a Pratham Goodwill Ambassador. Anupam will also be hosting Pratham’s informative and educational TV programme called “Angrezi OK Please.”

“I have always been drawn to the cause of children’s education which is why I have founded a School of Life Programme. I am certain a lot of synergy will be unleashed in being appointed Goodwill Ambassador for Pratham and in leveraging my media image. By becoming Pratham’s public face, I hope to augment in its fund raising, capacity enhancement and other initiatives dedicated to the cause of children’s education,” said Anupam Kher.

As Goodwill Ambassador, Anupam will undertake a planned trip to the USA later this year to meet with and encourage supporters of the organisation in association with Pratham’s USA chapter.

Anupam Kher who runs Anupam Kher Foundation, which was founded in April 2008, also has a programme module called “School of Life” for educating the street children in Mumbai. It not only emphasizes on bookish knowledge to children, but also teaches vivid aspects of life. Anupam Kher has also taken to educating budding artists in acting skills in a big way through his initiative – Actor Prepares.

Source: YahaWaha.com

Anupam Kher gets Presidential Award at IIFA

Mumbai: Two national awards, eight Filmfare awards, Padam Shri and 11 other awards – this is just a count that continues when it comes to actor Anupam Kher.

Adding another feather to his cap, the actor was honoured by the Presidential Award of Global Indian by Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa recently in Colombo.

Anupam got this award at the FICCI-IIFA Global Leadership Forum which was being held in Sri Lanka.

“It is an honour to receive this award. Sri Lankan government has now requested me to open a branch of my acting school – Actor Prepares there as well,” said Kher.

The 55-years-old actor was awarded for going beyond his call of duty as an actor and starting an institute like Actor Prepares, to prepare upcoming actors in their cinematic journey. And for years of accomplishments as an actor who has crossed boundaries with his versatile performances using the language of cinema.

Source: ndian weekender

Anupam Kher withdraws from Hitler project

Bollywood Star Drops Out of Not-Quite-Anti-Hitler Film

Dear Friend Hitler, a Bollywood film that appears to have a curiously lighthearted attitude towards the genocidal dictator, has lost its star. Actor Anupam Kher pulled out of the film after protests from India’s Jewish community.

On the face of it, there’s nothing unusual about making a film about Hitler’s final days; from Hitler: The Last Ten Days to Downfall, Westerners have been doing it for years. But none of those films had a title like Dear Friend Hitler and none of them had statements like from the director:

"[The film is focusing on] Hitler’s love for India and how he indirectly contributed to Indian independence. It aims to capture the personality of Adolf Hitler and his insecurities, his charisma and his paranoia during the last few days of his life."

NewsFeed probably should not have to mention that Hitler was a white supremacist who did not love India nor contribute particularly to Indian independence. And to call him ‘charismatic’ is ... problematic, as the academics like to say. (Readers who are unconvinced can read The Guardian's take.)

The frankly-wholly-appropriate storm of controversy the project inspired from Indian Jews caused Kher to reconsider his involvement with the project. “Sometimes human emotions are more important than cinema,” he said on Twitter.

If the film is completed, it will be the first ever Bollywood film about Hitler. Neha Dhupia, a former Miss India who is to play Eva Braun, remains with the project. (via The A.V. Club)

Source: Time Magazine

Lead Actor Withdraws From Hitler Film

A plan for the Bollywood film industry’s first feature about Adolf Hitler has already drawn an outcry from Indian moviegoers and historians, and now the project has lost the actor who was to play the lead character, Agence France-Presse reported. Anupam Kher, who was to play Hitler in “Dear Friend Hitler,” said he was withdrawing because of the criticism of the production. On his Twitter account Mr. Kher wrote, “Sometimes human emotions are more important than cinema.” In a statement reported by Reuters, Mr. Kher, left, added: “I have never been moved by commercial considerations, but I have always respected social opinions.” In an earlier description of the film, which is to be directed by Rakesh Ranjan Kumar and will focus on Hitler’s final days, its producers said “Dear Friend Hitler” would reveal the German dictator’s “insecurities, his charisma, his paranoia and his sheer genius.” The filmmakers said the project would not glorify Hitler, but the project, scheduled to begin filming in August, was widely condemned.

Source: New York Times

Anupam Kher on ‘The Change Within’ concept - XVI

I realised many summers ago that the way you react can often shape the outcome of events. Few of us understand this fact and most of us go blithely through life carrying on as we have always done; never re-living, or re-learning, from our actions. And as explained in my tenth column, our acts also affect our Destiny in the long run.

It is memorable that I am writing this on a day that is celebrated as Father’s Day, about an incident with my father which taught me a lot about action and reaction. My father was a bureaucrat in Shimla, and as such he had access to the Secondary results a day or two in advance. I was not a bright student and we were not even a middle-class family;  our outings to a restaurant were limited to just once a month. So two days before my matriculation results, when my father invited me to a restaurant, I was extremely curious what the occasion was all about. After feasting on kachories and samosas, and still wondering over the reason for the feast, my father said, “Son, I have to give you some sad news; you have failed in the matriculation exams..."   
I have learnt many things from my father, but the most memorable of them all was this  one incident when he did not condemn my failure but instead, handled it with care. In today’s scenario when you hear of so many tragedies over failure, I truly realise the extraordinary emotional quotient of my Dad. Truly, I do not think that many would have handled that situation like him.

Decades have passed since that incident, but I find a similar approach detailed as the 90:10 Principle by one of the most famous management thinkers, Stephen Covey. Basically, he states that 10 % of life is made up of what happens to you; 90 % of life is decided by how you react. Covey illustrates his Principle with an example of how you can react if your daughter spills coffee on your shirt as you are leaving the house.  One scenario: You shout at your daughter (and she breaks into tears!), you shout at your wife for keeping the coffee mug too close to the edge; both of you get into an argument; you change your shirt hurriedly and then rush through – forgetting your briefcase -- and the cop halts you for speeding, fines you and delays you …and so it goes on through the day. You could have another scenario: You could tell your daughter to be more careful the next time, change your shirt unhurriedly and pick up your briefcase on the way out and drive away peacefully!

Both the scenarios began the same way but they ended dramatically differently. Why? Because of your reaction.  It is time that we realised that our reactions are game-changers for better or worse. It can make our life; or it can mar it.  That is why I believe that our Destiny is often in our hands.

Anupam Kher on ‘The Change Within’ concept - XV

Last week, I was in the Lake District in north-west England being interviewed by the BBC. It was conducted across two days, not in an indoor studio but as we rambled along the most picturesque part of the famed British countryside. For those of you steeped in literary knowledge, you may recall that this part of England was home to the Romantic poets; Shelley, Wordsworth and Coleridge, who are the best remembered of the lot.
I had much time on my hands and I began responding to the question that is most often asked; If one is not to solely pursue Happiness, what should be one’s attitude in life?

In a sense, I did try to touch upon that point in my last column by stating that we should be happy even in Unhappiness. But perhaps that answer was too simplistic and philosophic.

In plain terms, I think the concept is to try to be like the mystics; to be unmoved by experiences whether happy or sad. It is akin to the state of being an official Observer at a diplomatic event; he just observes, he does not participate, or get moved, by the proceedings. We get moved by emotions because we allow ourselves to participate and get enmeshed by happenings. We must become like true mystics who transcend all feelings, Love or Hatred, Happiness or Unhappiness. In short, we must become detached. Many will recognise in this concept the essence of Buddhism, and indeed of many Indian faiths such as Hinduism and Jainism, which also dwell on the virtues of such a detached view of life.

Apart from attachment, it is also unfulfilled expectations which trigger much Unhappiness. So on another plane, we can place ourselves in the role of a karmayogi in which we work without any thoughts about the benefits from our actions.  We should do our work well because that is our karma, and not for any special recognition. We should similarly do good deeds, not for any gratitude but because that is the way it ought to be. By not expecting anything in return, we are whittling away any potential unhappiness. That is the noblest, and most clear example to emulate.

I began this column with a reference to Poetry and I will end with a quote from the legendary inspirational poem IF by the Mumbai-born Nobel laureate Rudyard Kipling. It sets up timeless rules for adults everywhere. And, it is still relevant in these karmic times.

‘If you can dream - and not make dreams your master,
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same…
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

Anupam Kher on ‘The Change Within’ concept - XIV

Everybody wants Happiness. And Happiness, not Wealth, is the most sought after attribute. Yet, unalloyed, complete Happiness, in the sense of an absence of Unhappiness, does not exist !  This statement may seem to be a contradiction of sorts but it is not.  Taken at face value, many will wonder what is the point of pursuing Happiness if it indeed does not exist?

But be patient and you may understand the contradiction.  Many years ago, I read a legendary Italian folk tale, The Happy Man’s Shirt, which I wish to share in brief. There was a king in olden times who had everything but who was always sad. The doctors diagnosed him as a case of melancholia and the cure was for him to wear the shirt of a happy man. Simple, thought the queen who called the army chief. He too thought, what a simple job, the nobility surely must be the happiest people in the kingdom. But after meeting every nobleman, and noblewoman, he found out that none were happy. He then went lower down the order in the capital and still did not find a happy citizen. Finally, he asked the troops to search the countryside. Many weeks later, they found a man in a cave whistling a happy tune. They were wondering whether it would be worth questioning him about happiness, since he did not seem to have much. But when they did, he admitted that he was truly happy. “Give me your shirt,” shouted the excited captain, “and I will make you rich beyond your wildest dreams!” “Sir,” stuttered the poor happy man, “I do not have a shirt!”

Our life ought to be like that. We must understand that Happiness cannot lie in having everything, but in being happy with whatever we have. We have discussed earlier that material wealth is not inclusive of Happiness, but the current argument goes beyond.  The point that I wish to make here is that a happy person is the one who is happy even in unhappiness. There is a wrong notion that Happiness means an absence of Unhappiness.  I believe that if life serves you a lemon, make lemonade. It is only when you can accept Unhappiness as unequivocally as you accept Happiness, then you have transcended them both.

Remember, sadness and adversity are not to be despised or afraid of; they enrich human character. They inspire us with grit and make life worth living. Of all the days I can recall, I can never forget the 20 odd days I had to spend in a railway platform in Mumbai when all my creditors shut their door in my face.

In closing, I would like to quote from the memorable farewell speech of Richard Nixon, who was pushed out of the most powerful office on earth by the Watergate scandal. When he was leaving the White House ignominiously, he said on national television, “Only if you have been in the deepest valley, can you ever know how magnificent it is to be on the highest mountain.”

Anupam Kher on ‘The Change Within’ concept - XIII

Last week I touched upon a very important tool in our armoury to change ourselves; Role Playing. It is widely used in group therapy workshops around the world and is a spinoff from the concept of Acting as Therapy. We touched upon two situations last week; mother-daughter and father-son relations. In this column, we will elaborate on the idea and extend it to other areas as well.

What is the link between acting and role playing?  In a sense, every actor enacts a role. But to make that portrayal more effective, many techniques are employed, one of which is Method Acting. There are again many versions of this technique, but basically it involves the actor getting into the emotions and memories of the character. To do that, I normally recommend actors to work on a ‘back story’ of the character.  For example, if I am doing a scene about marital discord between husband and wife, it is important to think out what makes the man tick?

I mean, get into his childhood; was it disturbed? Was he a single child? Was he a deprived child or was he a happy child? What about his teens; did he have trouble with girls or was he well-adjusted? Then about his profession; was he successful or was he unsuccessful; like the legendary Willy Loman in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman. So is he taking out his professional frustrations on his wife?  And what is the nature of their discord – the fact that he refuses to change?   All these questions lead an actor to getting deeper and deeper into the skin of the character and bring out the relevant emotions to the fore.

In the same way, clinically, and honestly, analyse your life – understand why you are what you are -- and you will come up with the hard answers. And the person who then plays ‘you’ can dramatise the situations to show you how you appear to others.  It is a mind-blowing experience and shows why Acting can be Therapeutic and the potential of Role Playing.

The wonderful aspect about Role Playing is that it is as applicable to obdurate teens as it is to corporate executives and is much simpler when there are groups involved. This is because it is easy to find someone to step into your shoes and act ‘your’ role as everyone has to be somebody else.  Among corporate executives, a majority of whom find the corporate ladder too slippery or who feel they have been shortchanged by their companies, role playing shows them their deficiencies and dramatises exactly how they come across to their clients and bosses.  Peers effectively act out the complexities of their characteristics.

I have touched upon the husband-wife interface because in my experience, it is the most troubled, and troubling, relationship of our times. Unlike in our parent’s generation where gender roles were sharply demarcated, today, roles have dramatically changed. Wives are no longer always submissive.  Husbands are no longer the sole bread-earners. Consequently, the issue is mostly about who wears the pants at home.  Play your spouse’s role tonight and you will find the answer.

Anupam Kher on ‘The Change Within’ concept - XII

Many of the triggers of our unhappiness come from unfulfilled relationships. They could be ones with your parents, loved ones or friends. When relationships are unfulfilled, I find that they rankle within us and they emerge as troublesome thoughts, or dreams. Sometimes, they even become the stuff of recurrent dreams. In any case, these vexing thoughts do not leave us happy when we do a memory recall. Why is that ? It is because we all crave for a finality, a closure in every relationship.

What is closure? It is an emotional coming to terms. That is why psychiatrists say that in a flawed marriage, it is better to seek a divorce than stay on in a hurting relationship. Because a divorce is final. It is a closure to all the fights, the hurt and the crying that went with it all. Now one can move on in life. The same logic holds for other vexed relationships as well. No one likes being dropped suddenly by a boyfriend or girlfriend. One would like to know the reason for the break-up. This is the closure we all seek.

Ideally, we should be able to overcome these relationships, and the persons, by enveloping them with forgiveness. I think it is more important to first empathise with their point of view and only then, if we think they are right, can we forgive them. But how do you achieve an empathy with them?  There is a powerful tool in dramatics which can aid us. We call it role-playing.

Let us assume that you are having some trouble with your father over the issue of your having smashed the family car. You have of course looked at from your perspective of having just one smash in the entire year. But start the role-playing exercise and put yourself in his shoes. Then ask your friend to act your role of a brash 19-year old son. Let him tell you in the brazen fashion you adopt, “Dad, I had a bang-up today.” Then act like the 46 year old father and tell your friend how you had remonstrated against him driving the car that night as the roads were slippery, etc after the rains. That you are not upset with him for the smash, but you are sad that he chose not to listen to your advice. And worse, he does not have any remorse. Your friend of course will now say that he is sick with your ‘I told you so’ attitude. And so it goes on…

The more you get into your father’s shoes, the more you will find yourself understanding his character, emotions and thought process and the more you will start empathising with him as you are confronted by ‘your’ dislikeable behaviour.  If you are a girl, you could role-play your mother turning down your request for a new pair of shoes, as it is beyond the family budget.
I have always found in workshops, such role-playing helps understand situations and people. Try it and you will not be disappointed.

Anupam Kher's artile in HT Cafe

Anupam Kher on ‘The Change Within’ concept - XI

Some perceptions gain currency because they seem plausible. Other perceptions get accepted as fact because they have not been actively contradicted.  Among them are some widely-held beliefs about Change, which I will share with you soon.

The concept of changing oneself seems to be redolent with a spiritual purpose. And very true, as it requires more than earthly strength to acknowledge that we have our weaknesses and need to rectify them.

However, contrary to perception, Change is neither cut from spiritual cloth alone, nor is it just an internal process nor is it always an individual’s goal. Change is Big Business. And I mean not just in money terms of the revenues clocked by life-change artists. I mean that Change is more imperative to corporates everywhere than perhaps even to individuals.

Why is Change so important to corporates? Because the corporate graveyard is full of brands and companies which refused to see the writing on the wall and change. Just do a memory recall. Do you remember visiting any office that did not have a typewriter two decades ago? Now, when did you last see a typewriter in this world of PCs and notebooks? The change that came in with the computer age blew out of business the typewriter giants Remington, Smith-Corona and Olivetti. Similarly, remember the old taperecorders with spools of tape, or cassettes? Well, we still call them taperecorders even though they have no tape in them. The digital age made all that obsolete and sank brands Grundig and Akai into the ground. Technology has also consigned producers of conventional televisions, ovens and phones into history’s rubbish bin.

Across a larger timeframe, a clutch of American automobile companies have disappeared as have many legendary European watch and camera and electronic brands; all to the Japanese onslaught in the sixties. Now the Japanese brands themselves are losing the battle to the Korean majors. And the world’s factory is now China.  Such bruising billion dollar battles for existence across nations and industries have made multinationals realise that "If You Do Not Change, You Can Become Extinct."

That is why Change is a multi-billion dollar business of a very serious nature for corporates. And for them, unlike in the case of most individuals, failure to change will definitely be commercially fatal. What makes Change more difficult for corporates to handle is to accurately predict which parameters of their business would change. Could it be technology, or design or consumer tastes? And in which direction would the change impetus be felt?

We individuals have it much easier than the world of industry as we do not have to guess at the directions of change. We already know the attributes which are desirable for us.  All we have to do is change ourselves in the direction which has been shown by the wisdom of the sages.

Anupam Kher on ‘The Change Within’ concept - X

Thought control, a necessity

Thoughts are a double-edged sword. They are the foundations for the creative process and they are also the basis for turning our mindsets negative and even destructive. It is the same mind which creates the eternal art of Leonardo Da Vinci, the mathematical genius of Einstein, and also the madness of a Hitler.

It is now estimated that on an average 60,000 thoughts cross our minds every day. The sad part is that most of us have no control over our thoughts. One of the best attributes of a thought I have heard is that it is like mercury, you can never catch it! I think it is pretty much obvious why we should have some control over our thoughts; unless we do, we become their slave. The finest logical deduction I have read about how thoughts shape our destiny is by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He says:

* Take care of your Thoughts because they become Words
* Take care of your Words because they will become Actions
* Take care of your Actions because they will become Habits
* Take care of your Habits because they will form your Character
* Take care of your Character because it will form your Destiny
* And your Destiny will be your Life!

I don’t think there is anything more to be said on this topic after you have read, and absorbed, this simple elegant truth by one of the greatest spiritual persons of our times. There is, however, one aspect of the thought process which I wish to comment upon. It is the link between thoughts and depression, a syndrome which is endemic these days. The causes of depression are myriad but they get worsened by our recurring negative thoughts which ensnare us.

Some of us have the ability to rationalise any untoward incident, but a large number cannot and get sucked into depressive thoughts, which at its very worst can virtually paralyse them. That anti-depressants are among the largest selling pharmaceuticals, only reflects how rampant depression is in our rootless societies where the anchor of a joint family system has been yanked out.

So how does one try to control thoughts? One way is to count backwards from 50 to zero, as I have explained earlier as a way to control anger. Another method is to try to recall the happy moments of your life. Like memories of your childhood, the beautiful sunset that you last saw, the tender moments with your mother, the touch of your loved one.

It is not just enough to think of these as visuals, you should feel these moments. If you do so, you will realise that your fit of depression is momentary. Your life is not hopeless as there are many things which make life worth living. The point is where do you wish to focus. On the half empty glass or the half full glass?

'Pankhdiyaan' Review-Sunday Times, Times of India

'Pankhdiyaan' Review-Deccan Chronicle

Anupam Kher on ‘The Change Within’ concept - IX

Comparison begets regret

In my decades of professional life, I have discovered a sad truth: that most of us are driven by sadistic instincts. We like to project ourselves as being more successful than our peers and love making them feel envious of us. This attitude is the driving force behind the entire public relations business whose talents are hired by those at the top, and those vying to be at the top, of the social pyramid.

After all, what is the use if you are hosting a grand party if the world does not come to know of it. Such a sentiment prevails even lower down the social scale. The clerk’s wife will drop it in, not too gently at all, that her husband bought her a saree costing Rs 3,000 to all those she speaks with, even if sarees never were the topic of discussion. And the middle-ranking executive’s wife will not tire of telling all her friends for weeks that her family has just returned from a European experience.

It is because of this innate desire in us to portray our successes, achievements and endeavours in a way that creates envy amongst those we know, that I maintain a simple rule. Meet such PR pronouncements from, let us call her Mrs X, with a smile and a stoic attitude. Do not let the statements remain with you; let them out through the other ear.

I know this is difficult, but practice it you must. Else it will rankle within you, make you unhappy and you will behave in exactly the way your friend/neighbour wants you to. And the scenario will be: You will tell your husband about how much of a provider Mr X is and how much of a higher wage earner he is. The implicit meaning is that Mr X is more successful than your husband. Such a message will turn into a nagging routine after a while and finally make your husband react one day. The explosion will leave you all unhappy; exactly how Mrs X wanted you to feel!

To make life simple and easier I have followed a simple rule which I recommend to everyone who seeks advice: Never read the social diary and high-life supplements of papers in the morning as they make you feel disadvantaged early in the morning and ruin the rest of the day. If you must catch up on the happenings of the bold and beautiful, and also see the ads on expensive baubles, brave it for later. I can assure you that your days will pass off smoother.

Another sadistic psychological truth which you should bear in mind is that most of us are not happy if we are just better off.

To achieve complete happiness, not only must we be better off than before, but we must now be better off than the Xs who have always been lecturing us. I recall the French author and nobleman Francois de la Rochefoucauld’s words, “It is not enough to succeed; others must fail.”

Anupam Kher on ‘The Change Within’ concept - VIII

Analyse yourself to ring in happiness

You don’t have to travel too far to meet people who have sad tales of how unfairly life has treated them; and how they have been the victims of circumstance. In a world that chases and adores, success, I guess that is to be expected.

I have met alcoholics who justify their taking to drinks because their wives nagged them. But talk to their families and you hear the other half of a stereophonic recording. Matters get more complicated in fields where judgements are subjective.

Singularly, unhappiness is not confined to those who have not been successful or wealthy. I find unhappiness is a great leveller. The rich businessman finds his son is on substance abuse. The globetrotting executive finds his wife is unfaithful. The industrialist finds that his competitors are outpacing him, growing larger and faster.

To all these people, the successful and the not-too successful, the mantra is simple. Your happiness lies in your hands. In a sense, the mantra boils down to analysing what your assets are, how you can maximise them and how you can play down your weaknesses. In corporate lingo, that is called SWOT analysis which is an abbreviation for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats.

That critical assessment is not the end. It is to be benchmarked against what you wish to be. And therein lies the rub. All of us must have aspirations but the key to a modicum of contentment is to see that it is line with our SWOT findings. We can certainly leverage our strengths and try hard at whatever we excel, but we must not be carried away with our flattered assessment of ourselves. If I am five feet eight inches and I wish to become six feet, then I am creating my own unhappiness. If I have a voice like a bullfrog and I aspire to become a ghazal singer, then I am consigning myself to the bin of unhappiness. If I have mediocre looks and want to become a matinee idol, I am not sure it is the path to success unless I am blessed with outstanding histrionic ability.

My mantra may be amazingly simple — remember I told you that there are no great truths that need to be discovered — but it will help you find yourself. That is if you are honest with yourself. If you are in the vortex of unhappiness, it will help you find out where you have gone wrong and how you ought to refashion yourself.

The executive and businessman may find that their unhappiness stems from spending too little attention to their wife and family. The industrialist must decide if he wishes to become happier or get ulcers looking over his shoulder all the while. To each, the choice is his own.

The great temptation is to aim to be rich and famous. The cold and sober realisation is that not everyone can be so. One can find happiness in becoming good teachers, jewellers, designers and lawyers as well. The sooner we get started on that road, the better.

Anupam Kher on ‘The Change Within’ concept - VII

Discontent is a disease

We are all discontented people, with varying degrees of unhappiness. Discontentment is like a disease. It keeps getting worse if left untreated. Of course, everyone has a multitude of reasons to be discontented. But there are many more reasons why they ought not to be so. In this lies the realisation of what I call positive benchmarking. It’s an extension of the mantra I discussed last week — Your happiness lies in your hands.

Let me explain illustratively what I mean by positive benchmarking. You can wake up any morning and feel justifiably low with the blues. Your maid has said she wants an off, your driver called in to say he is coming late so you will be late for that all-important appointment with the hairdresser before meeting your friends at the kitty party, your daughter has thrown a tantrum and your husband, as it always happens, is not in town.

Or, if you are a man, you could be tense over this morning’s presentation as your division’s sales are nowhere on target, your driver’s son is unwell so you have to drive yourself to work, your EA is turning out to be a turnip as he has forgotten to prepare the slides for this evening’s client meeting, you have a feeling that your purchase manager is secretly demanding kickbacks, the list goes on… Yes, both these people have enough reason, or so they believe, to be discontent.

But let us reflect for a moment. How many Indians have maids and drivers? How many of us have the privilege of owning cars? How many of us have well-paying, if stressful, jobs? How many of us are invited to kitty parties? The moment you ask these sort of questions, you have the answer that will resonate in your head and bring in a certain equanimity. The inescapable truth is that you belong to a small, and very privileged minority and you have very little cause to be discontent.

What have we done in the process? We have benchmarked ourselves against the teeming millions of our countrymen who have no electricity, no houses, who very often go to bed hungry and who have no savings for a very uncertain tomorrow.

When we think of how privileged we are, that is positive benchmarking. Of course we can also benchmark ourselves against our friends in Golf Links or Banjara Hills or Malabar Hill. And we can bitch, crib, moan and cavil at how much more they have. Such thoughts, unfortunately lead to the road to materialism and disaster, as the West has long discovered.

I would like to share with you a beautiful thought which I read many years ago and which has stayed with me: I always longed for a pair of shoes, until a saw someone with no feet. The powerful imagery of this humbling thought, so rural India in its setting, has always stayed with me. So too is another Gandhian saying, “There is enough for the world’s needs, but not enough for the world’s greed.” Mull over these and you will have the answers the next time you are discontent.

We're The World: Andheri Girl Wins Pageant

Anupam Kher with Femina contestants in Bombay Times

Anupam Kher to perform at Prithvi Theatre on 24th and 25th April, 2010

Anupam Kher on ‘The Change Within’ concept - VI

The purpose of this column is to initiate change -- for the better -- in our lives. And the only way forward is to recognise our deficiencies and seek solutions. I have touched on the aspect that afflicts some of us who, perhaps from a feeling of low self-esteem, aspire to be someone else. Today, we will discuss another problem afflicting a larger audience; anger. There is no need to repeat here what havoc it wreaks on our physiological systems; from high BP to strokes to coronary diseases.

How does one fight the anger syndrome? There are many ways that have been listed elsewhere, from taking a deep breath to counting till ten to meditation. All of them have their virtues, but the problems still persist. So what does one do?

Let us tackle this subject scientifically. Check your breath when you are in a normal state. You will notice that your breath is steady and rhythmic. Now observe yourself when you start losing your cool. You will notice that your breathing gets shallow and your breathing comes in short gasps. So one obvious key to fight the onslaught of oncoming anger is to resort to deep breathing and prevent shallow breathing. You will say that there is nothing new in this mantra. But the key is to breathe not into our chests, as we all do. The correct technique, which has been mastered by our yogis thousands of years ago and taught in yoga schools, is to breathe deeply into your stomach!

In our Western-oriented society, we have become a civilisation of ‘shallow’ breathers as we have been taught in PT class in school that the correct posture is ‘chest out, stomach in’. Consequently, we use only the middle and upper portion of our lungs when we breathe. Now listen to what the experts say. According to James Gordon of the Centre for Mind/Body Medicine in Washington, “When you bring air down into the lower portion of the lungs, where oxygen exchange is most efficient, everything changes. Heart rate slows, blood pressure decreases, muscles relax, anxiety ceases and the mind calms.” Gordon is not alone, there are a host of American researchers who endorse his views and are finding remarkable virtues in the correct technique of deep breathing.

And if you have further doubts, let me ask you to observe one more thing. Watch a baby breathe and you will see its belly go up and down, just the way our bellies should!

There is another old solution which we need to tweak a bit to fight anger. Don’t count till ten, count backwards from fifty. It makes the rational part of your brain override the irrational as you are forced to break your stream of anger and concentrate on the numbers.

So keep counting backwards and take deep breaths, the correct way, the next time you find yourself flying off the handle.

Anupam Kher on ‘The Change Within’ concept - V

Last week I wrote about the importance of the adage Know Thyself and I said that we will follow up with the wisdom to Be Thyself. I have often noticed that many of us inflict unhappiness on ourselves by trying to be, or behave, like someone else. We also act in accordance with how we think successful people behave.

Such modified behaviour stems essentially from low self esteem; from the belief that we are inferior beings and that others are superior to us.

There is nothing wrong in trying to emulate the good points of others. Indeed this is a very positive attribute as it shows we acknowledge that we are not perfect. It is definitely a more welcome state than another attitude that many tend to believe — that they are perfect and all the flaws lie with others!

But there is a limit to being influenced by the attitudes of others or what we perceive to be prototypes of model behaviour.

When I say that we are trying to be another person, it is not just talking with an affected accent or speaking a hip language or living out a ‘cool’ lifestyle that is indicative of the malaise. It goes much deeper and basically entails the attempt to adopt a new personality altogether to conform to our notions of what we ought to be. So we put on a mask.

Initially, we put one on at the office to be like the boss. Then we put on many masks for the multiple roles we play. One for the spouse, one for the children, one for the neighbours. Soon the masks take over and we do not know who we actually are. I am reminded of the immortal line in Jean Anouilh’s classic play Becket in which Thomas Becket tells a courtier who is as fixed as a weather cock, “When your head stops turning, I hope your face will be in front!” And therein lie the seeds of unhappiness, because no matter how hard we try, we will one day get tired of our revolving heads. Let me illustrate with examples. The higher one goes in the corporate echelon, the more firm is the belief that we must be restrained and never smile.

Smiling is supposed to indicate frivolity; the ideal is to maintain a graveyard expression as if the woes of the corporation rest on us. So on all the business class flights that I have flown, I have only seen my co-fliers looking and acting stiff, all wearing pinstripes, all reading the financial papers, never smiling and barely aware of their fellow passengers.

And just as the plane lands in say Delhi, he will fold his papers and give you a weak smile and ask, “Are you going to Delhi?!” What happens instead if he would just be himself and smile and be pleasant? And if everyone did so? The cabin will certainly be a much sunnier place. We will return to this topic again, next week.

Anupam Kher on ‘The Change Within’ concept - IV

Last week I wrote of about the importance of the adage Know Thyself and I said that we will follow up with the wisdom to Be Thyself.

I have often noticed that many of us inflict unhappiness on ourselves by trying to be, or behave like, someone else. Or acting in accordance with how we think successful people behave. Such modified behaviour stems essentially from low self-esteem; from the belief that we are inferior beings and that some others are superior to us.

There is nothing wrong in trying to emulate the good points of others. Indeed that is a very positive attribute as it shows that we are acknowledging that we are not perfect. It is definitely a more welcome state to be in than what many tend to believe – that they are perfect and all the flaws lie with others! But there is a limit to being influenced by the attitudes of others or what we perceive to be prototypes of model behaviour.

When I say that we are trying to be another person, it is not just speaking with an affected accent or speaking a hip language or living out a ‘cool’ lifestyle that is indicative of the malaise. It goes much deeper and basically entails the attempt to adoption of a new personality altogether to conform to our notions of what we ought to be. So we put on a mask. Initially, we put one at the office to be like the boss. Then we put on many masks for the multiple roles we play. One for the spouse, one for the children, one for the neighbours.

Soon the mask takes over and we do not know who we actually are. I am reminded of the immortal line in Jean Anouilh’s classic play Becket in which Thomas Becket tells a courtier who is as fixed as a weather cock, ”When your head stops turning, I hope your face will be in front!” And therein lies the seeds of unhappiness, because no matter how hard we try, we will one day get tired of our revolving heads.

Let me illustrate with examples. The higher one goes in the corporate echelon, the more firm is the belief is that we must be restrained and never smile. Smiling is supposed to indicate a frivolity; the ideal is to maintain a graveyard expression as if the woes of the corporation rest on us. So in all the business class flights which I have flown, I have only seen my co-fliers looking and acting stiff, all wearing pinstripes, all reading the financial papers, never smiling and barely aware of their fellow passengers. And just the plane lands in say Delhi, he will fold his papers and give you a weak smile and ask, "Are you going to Delhi!!"

What happens instead if he would just be himself and smile and be pleasant? And if everyone did so.? The cabin will certainly be a much sunnier place. We will return to this topic again, next week.

Acclaimed theatre workshop for dancers held by AP Ahmedabad

Actor Prepares Ahmedabad held a two-day workshop on March 20 and 21, 2010, for dancers from the city's famed dance troupe Rasadhwani. Here are pictures and an article which appeared in the Times of India, Ahmedabad.

Anupam Kher on ‘The Change Within’ concept - III

We may not aim to actively pursue happiness, but we all wish to minimise the unhappiness in our lives. And as we do so, we will notice naturally, that our happiness quotient increases.

How do we minimise, if not eliminate, unhappiness? All roads lead to Rome, goes an old saying indicating that there are several paths to the same goal. It is the same with reducing unhappiness in our lives, depending on what vexes us the most.

But whatever the formulation, the fundamental issue, as old as the philosophy of Socrates, is to firstly KNOW THYSELF. This may be an old Greek aphorism, but its relevance is eternal. In a sense, we are what we are because we don’t know who we are.

It is not unusual to meet youngsters who, in their late teens, are still confused about their career choices. Or young people wondering who among their friends of the opposite sex, they should settle down with. Why does this happen? Because they don’t really know themselves.

It is even more fashionable abroad for people to wander around and ‘discover’ themselves. Many come to India to search out complicated new truths, but the truths are simple as much as eternal. Such as KNOW THYSELF.

I have seen many people go through a lifetime of anger, exploding at the rottenness of our society, at the inefficiency of our infrastructure, the callous things they are not quite capable of – or happy – doing. They have been influenced by their parents or peers. Others take up careers, or worse, marry, because they still don’t know themselves or they are simply too meek to know better. The end result is a lifetime of unhappiness.

So if there are triggers in your life that make you unhappy, start reviewing yourself right now. Sit down in a quiet corner, in solitude, and tote up what makes you unhappy. Mentally place a mirror before yourself and then list all attributes — honestly — which could be contributory factors that lead on to that unhappiness. Is your teenaged son giving you angst with his low grades? Maybe you have been at him all these months, so he is protesting subtly at your overbearing ways. Take him out for a coffee and try talking to him, and not down at him the next time, and see if it makes a difference. Is your boss never satisfied with you? What triggers it off? Could it be your sloppy work or your failure to deliver on time?

A little bit of introspection will take you a long way on the road to self discovery. Once the process starts, you will start finding the answers to most of your problems, instead of feeling persecuted. And then get ready for the next step after you KNOW YOURSELF; BE YOURSELF.

Source: Deccan Chronical

Anupam Kher on ‘The Change Within’ concept - II

It is a truism that no one is happy. We are all unhappy, but in varying degrees. The seeming roots of our unhappiness stem from many perceived failings; failed relationships, failure to have offspring, failure to have enough resources, lack of good looks etc. You will notice that I use the word ‘perceived’.

That is because these attributes are not really our failings. We perceive them as failings from the standpoint of others. I will touch upon the effects of such a perception later. Here I wish to discuss the underlying and widely-held belief that having enough money would vapourise all our failures.

Unfortunately, this is not so. It is not that Bill Gates or Warren Buffet are the happiest persons on this planet. Gates and Buffet may not lose sleep over where their next meal will come from, but like other mortals, they too are plagued with concerns about their children, personal relationships and other matters. They are also worried stiff about protecting their monumental reputations. Because when you are number one in your field, there is no place else to go. You have to keep fighting all the time just to stay in place with a pack of rivals working overtime to overtake you.

Closer home, I’m sure it’s the same with Mukesh Ambani and his younger brother Anil. Let me tell you that the listings of the richest people on the planet in the 1980s was routinely topped by the Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah.

The web is replete with pictures of his gold plated Boeing 747, his gilded 1,178 room palace and the largest collection of luxury and high-performance cars. Is he happy? No. His brother Jefri Bolkiah gypped him of 15 billion dollars, and many more billions were lost in bad business deals until the Sultan finally disowned him.

You would say that the Sultan was an exceptional case. I can tell you my example. I have gone from a penniless wannabe actor to a sensation earning more money than I could imagine, let alone spend. Then again I almost became bankrupt. And I can tell you that money did not entail happiness. That is why the retinue of people who seek darshan of the spiritual masters always has the rich and famous among them. So money, or great wealth, is certainly not the route to happiness, as readers of John Steinbeck’s classic novella The Pearl — described as a critique of the American Dream — have long discovered.

If money is not the answer, so too are the things that it can buy to give you an artificial feel-good feeling. There is much talk of shopping endlessly to uplift your mood; retail therapy is the new phrase. Or the new world of cosmetic enhancement to give you magically good looks. Sadly, the highs of these therapies get dissipated in a short while leaving you as depressed as you were initially.

We are beginning to realise that happiness cannot come solely from external sources. So in the next column, we will discover the concept of Knowing Oneself and Being Yourself.

Source: Deccan Chronical

MY DAYS AT ACTOR PREPARES.

For starters, this is the first time of my Indian education system that I’m being asked to pen down what "I think" and what I’ve learned. Usually it’s just about the topics, what authors say or worse writing it all down in their words. It feels great but its still mind boggling because unfortunately I write as I talk, in circles!

When I came for this course I frankly thought we’d be doing a bunch of scenes everyday. Learning how to memorize those long scripts and act. Thankfully we did none of the above to that great an extent as other schools would have mindlessly and mechanically done, trying to make “actors”. We learnt how to be. Most importantly we learnt how to be a better, more whole. It has definitely made me a better and happier person. This course taught me so much about myself that I just wasn’t expecting.

It held out a mirror where I could see beyond that meets the eye and showed me my reason for being who I am and what all brought me at this stage.

Actor Prepares to train Femina Miss India 2010 Contestants

Anupam Kher on ‘The Change Within’ concept - I

As an actor with over 400 films in my repertoire, it has been my privilege to travel the world and meet several hundreds of people engaged in a wide spectrum of endeavours. From presidents to commoners, from billionaires to paupers. For me, this is not a privilege to be taken lightly as I enjoy meeting people. I also find it a very stimulating exercise to analyse them.

Actually, I find that I have a gift of analysing people. As I talk to them, I sometimes wonder what kind of lives they must be leading, what kinds of backgrounds they come from, the families they have raised and what makes them tick. Certainly, my calling as a trained actor has helped hone this process as understanding your character and getting under his skin makes your portrayal more convincing.

But for me, it has not stopped at analysing others. I have constantly tried to analyse myself and reinvent myself. You cannot be emoting the same way as say, a father, in 50 films. You have to be different and reinvent yourself. And that process begins only when you rediscover yourself.

That process of rediscovery for me began when I was contemplating my one-man play Kuchh bhi ho sakta hai some years ago. Here I was, a very successful actor if you count the number of films I had done. And judging from critical acclaim, I was not doing too bad a job of it either.

For a boy who had grown up in the family of a lower division clerk in Shimla with dreams for company, I had fame and fortune beyond my wildest imagination.

And then, like it happens to most of us, the dreams got the better of me. I thought I had the Midas touch and nothing could go wrong. As was the fashion a decade ago, I too set up a huge production house to make ‘software’ for the industry.

Initially, I had the most successful television programmes in my kitty. Not satisfied, I diversified even further. I went into event management, for that was the latest business to be in, and staged many mega-events.

The cookie crumbled as it had to. Soon, with so many productions and events and poor financial management, which is the bane of our business, the cashflow went kaput.

And I was fighting a flurry of court cases from creditors. That was when I discovered myself and began to do some self-therapy. I asked myself, why did I want to become larger than life?

What was I in pursuit of? Wealth or Happiness? Or just a larger headline than my rival production company? In the process, I discovered many truths. And I formulated many exercises, which I introduced in my acting school, Actor Prepares. It teaches people to discover themselves.

And that was how I formulated The Change Within concept. We will discuss some facets of this life-coaching programme in my next column...

Source: Deccan Chronical

Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore at Actor Prepares

Leander Paes at Actor Prepares

ACTOR PREPARES, India’s finest acting school, completes five years

Actor Prepares to train Ponds Femina Miss India Contestants 2010

200'th performance of Kuch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai

The 200th performance of Anupam Kher’s highly acclaimed and much travelled play Kuch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai will be staged at NCPA, Mumbai, on the 3rd of January 2010. The one-man play, sometimes sad, sometimes comic, is a sketch of Kher’s life. It is the journey of a man who should have been a failure; but he manipulated his destiny and forced it to make him a success.

Anupam Kher, has acted in almost 400 feature films and has won several national and international awards for his endeavours. And in recent years, Kher has been in the limelight for his roles in global productions with internationally renowned directors such as Gurinder Chaddha, Ang Lee and Woody Allen.

Yet he holds Kuch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai dear to his persona. “All of us are in search of success and so, we are terrified of failing. Kuch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai liberated me from the fear of failure. It also made me connect with people and taught me that failures can be stepping stones to success,” says Kher.

In the last decade, Kher’s endeavours have gone beyond entertainment. He has set up the country’s finest acting school ACTOR PREPARES to groom fresh talent for the industry and he has also established the ANUPAM KHER FOUNDATION which has programmes for less-privileged children in education and palliative care.

 

Anupam Kher's article in the Jerusalem Post (Israel)

 

Vir Das at his candid best with Actor Prepares students

It’s fun time at Anupam Kher’s acting school Actor Prepares. And we are not talking about Halloween, but stand-up comedian Vir Das. The US-educated, India-returned Das recently had a scintillating interface with students at Actor Prepares during which he shared the secrets of being a successful entertainer. And he sent everyone into peals of laughter recounting the several gaffes he had committed. Few know that Das himself is an actor and had attended classes on acting at Harvard University for their Stanislavsky Programme. That is why the bonding between him and Anupam kher's students was so intense!

 

 

Anupam Kher's memorable interview in Cineblitz

 

Kissa Youni Ka at Actor Prepares Weekend Theatre

Actor Prepares Weekend Theatre got broadbased last week when Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal’s Poor Box Productions performed a Hindi version of the celebrated The Vagina Monologues. Running to packed houses at Actor Prepares’ acting studio at Juhu, the two shows in which admission was free, elicited a lot of interest from an audience which was riveted with the earthy flavour of the Hindi monologues. While earlier productions were all from the acting school’s student repertoire, the weekend theatre now promises to host top-notch talent from outside as well.

 

 

Kuchh Bhi Ho Sakta Hai premiers at Weekend Theatre Presentations

The acting school Actor Prepares’ efforts to turn its studios into a cultural hub on weekends has proven to be an amazing success. Last weekend, despite the showers, both the shows of Anupam Kher’s hilarious autobiographical play Kucch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai , which has been performed in five continents, ran to packed houses. Despite entry being strictly monitored, standees were in abundance. Among the audience were Jaya Bachchan, General Tej Kaul and Kunal Kapoor,among other celebrities. “Amitji saw the play at its premier five years ago. It has taken me all these years to see it and the experience has been worth the wait. A truly one-man performance,” said Mrs Bachchan.

In the forthcoming weeks, Actor Prepares Weekend Theatre will be hosting Vagina Monologues by Mahabanoo Modi Kotwal and also musical events and stand-up acts by comedians. Actor Prepares’ initiative will now have a broader canvas which will be an assure its studios of an even larger draw on weekends.

 

 

ANUPAM KHER INVITED TO SPEAK AT CAMBRIDGE

Actor Anupam Kher has been invited by the prestigious Cambridge University to speak on How to Build and Orchestrate Trans-national Creative Networks. Mr Kher, who is increasingly attaining global stature by being offered roles by renowned directors such as Ang Lee and Woody Allen, will be speaking on September 19 at Cambridge University’s Judge Business School, against the backdrop of a larger theme on opportunities for the West as Bollywood goes global.

The lecture, and panel discussions, are running in tandem with the Cambridge Film Festival.

 

Actor Prepares Starts Weekend Theatre Presentations

Anupam Kher’s Actor Prepares, India’s finest acting school, has been a trend setter in innovation. Its students have benefitted immensely from being exposed to the latest trends in world cinema. Some of that initiative includes interfaces with directors of the calibre of Danny Boyle and Shekhar Kapur to having Mr. Kher share his experiences of working with directors Ang Lee and Woody Allen.

In keeping with its spirit of innovation, Actor Prepares will now transform itself into a centre of the dramatic arts every weekend by hosting events at its studio at Santacruz West. These shows will not only highlight the acting skills of its students, but also of performers in the city keen on displaying their talent in the performing arts.

The series began with the play Romeo and Jenny, which was performed in the second weekend of September by the students of Actor Prepares. It is a play which shows how the lives of actors rehearsing Romeo and Juliet are singed with reality when their production is recast. Among the stellar plays scheduled in the coming weeks will be Mr. Kher’s highly acclaimed one-man play Kuchh Bhi Ho Sakta Hai which has been staged internationally.

Seating at these events will be on a first-come, first-seated basis.

For more information, contact Mr. Herman D’souza 2666180, 65797855

 

 

Actor Prepares Opens in Ahmedabad

Actor Prepares-Ahmedabad was inaugurated by Shri Narendra Modi on July 20 in a spacious 2.5 acre complex with swimming pool, indoor and outdoor auditoriums, a modern gymnasium and a horse-riding school. The launch was widely covered in the media and speaking on the occasion, Mr Kher said that though Gujarat had established itelf as an economic powerhouse, it should now leverage its strengths and create a platform for soft power too. He believed that Actor Prepares - Ahmedabad would go a long way in this endeavour.

Mr Modi acquiesced with Mr Kher and said that he believed in "Commerce with Culture and Enterprise with Entertainment."

 

 

Anupam Khers shoots for Woody Allen

Legendary Hollywood film director Woody Allen has enlisted Anupam Kher for a role in his next film. Sharing space with Kher in the film will be Anthony Hopkins, Nicole Kidman and others including Freida Pinto.

For full report, Click here

Danny Boyle bowled over by 'Actor Prepares'

Celebrated British Director Danny Boyle, who is in town to shoot his latest opus, visited Anupam Kher's acting school Actor Prepares yesterday. He held an interactive session with students of 'Actor Prepares' during which he was quizzed on several aspects of acting and direction.

"Can acting be taught, what do you expect from an actor, why is it that only a handful of aspirants become successful actors'" These were some of the questions that were fielded to the acclaimed director who has won 24 international awards at last count.

"Exhilarating and inspirational," were some of the comments of the students who counted that morning as a defining moment in their professional life.

"I never knew that such an acting school measuring up to international standards existed in Mumbai," said Boyle, after the session.

Danny Boyle is best known for his films Trainspotting, Millions, The Beach, Sunshine, 28 Days Later and its sequel, 28 Weeks Later.

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The Times, London, reports on ACTOR PREPARES going to the UK

The Times, Britain’s most prestigious newspaper devoted an unprecedented page to Mr Anupam Kher opening ACTOR PREPARES at Ealing, a London suburb. It thought it fitting that Bollywood was at last going to be represented the centre of the former British Empire, and saw scope for more Indo-British productions.

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The Washington Post profiles ACTOR PREPARES

The Washington Post, one of the world’s most influential newspapers recently visited ACTOR PREPARES and was impressed by the hard work of the students there.

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Los Angeles Times, writes about ACTOR PREPARES

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/cl-et-india21mar21,1,4446430.story

Bollywood News, reports on ACTOR PREPARES opening in UK

http://www.bollywoodnewsnetwork.com/search/anupam%20kher

Kuwait Times, reports on ACTOR PREPARES opening in UK

http://www.kuwaittimes.net/read_news.php?newsid=MzY4MzQ4OTc4%20-

Aljareera News, reports on ACTOR PREPARES opening in UK

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2008/09/2008911154643512547.html%20-%2053k%20-

Gulf Times, reports on ACTOR PREPARES opening in UK

http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=241238&version=1&template_id=40&parent_id=22%20-

Times Online, reports on ACTOR PREPARES opening in UK

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/bollywood/
article4735760.ece

ABC News, reports on ACTOR PREPARES opening in UK

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/09/12/2362884.htm?
section=entertainment%20-%2019k%20-%20Cached%20-%20Similar%20pages

Independent News Paper UK reports on ACTOR PREPARES

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/film-and-tv/news/from-ealing-to-bombay-new-drama-school-offers-a-gateway-to-bollywood-844230.html