Anupam Kher: I want to be like Oprah

The Bollywood star talks about his new chat show, the Anupam Kher Show – Kucch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai.

Shah Rukh Khan, right, and Anupam Kher. AFP

The movie star Shah Rukh Khan wouldn't be SRK but instead Abdul Rehman if his maternal grandmother had her way. The veteran Indian actor Om Puri grew up serving in a tea shop to support his family before making it big in showbiz. Sitting on a ­Victorian-style settee, these actors had no qualms about baring their souls to Bollywood's renowned baddy Anupam Kher on his new programme, The Anupam Kher Show – Kucch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai, on Colors TV. The 59-year-old Kher, who has played the doting father, funny man and outlaw in nearly 500 films, made his television production debut last month. In doing so, he fired up comparisons with other talk shows, such as Karan Johar's Koffee with Karan, Rendezvous with Simi Garewal and the late actor Farooq Shaikh's Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai. Kher's television venture is an extension of his autobiographical stage production Kucch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai (Anything Is Possible), in which he shares his trials and tribulations. In an interview before his promotional tour in Dubai this week, the actor tells us he has his sights set on creating a show with the same international reach The Oprah Winfrey Show enjoyed.

What made you want to talk in the stage production about your challenges and failures?

About 12 years ago I was going through a bad phase, health-wise [he suffered facial paralysis] and at work. I had hit rock bottom and was on the verge of bankruptcy. At the time, I was approached by a publishing house to write my autobiography. While noting that down, I discovered I was only talking about my failures and laughing at them. Then I thought: ‘I am an actor. I should not just write this but perform it, too.’ The play celebrates the spirit of the power of failure and, even though it is my story, people can see theirs in it, too.

What part of your life’s narrative was hardest to share with an audience?

The director’s instruction was that I have to relive all the incidents of my life in every show, or else people will not connect with it and it will become plastic. The first 100 performances were a little strenuous, but after every show people would come up to me and say they were inspired to start life all over again. I think if you laugh at your troubles and tell the whole world what went wrong, you can’t be frightened by anything.

When did you decide you wanted to do a talk show with celebrities?

I’ve been doing a lot of motivational lectures in the past few years. If my life can inspire people, then a television show where guests talk about their challenges and what makes them unique would work. The idea was to do something inspirational, not a show about gossip, fashion or film promotion.

How do you plan on making this a standout television show?

I’m not looking to make the show different. I’m looking to do an honest job and I don’t have any Indian talk show as a reference point. I’m not looking down on them, but I want to do what Oprah did. There was a uniqueness about her show and she too must have started on a small scale. I want to make a life-changing show. I do not have a written script or a cue sheet with questions. The audience feels like these people have come to my drawing room and are chatting there. What works in favour of the show is its honesty and its unpretentiousness.

Were you taken aback by any revelation on the show?

There were plenty such instances. What comes across is the vulnerability of successful people. Their humble beginnings and dedication. The world puts them in a mould, but they are as human as anyone else.

Do you have a wish list of celebrities you would like to get on the show?

I haven’t made any such wish list. But in the second show I might diversify and have people from different walks of life. If the show is successful, I would like to go abroad and chat with people from there, too.

The Anupam Kher Show – Kucch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai is broadcast every Sunday at 8pm on Colors TV