Anupam Kher he’s back in the theater and as we speak to him he’s beaming with childlike excitement. Despite his decades as an actor in films and on stage, he remains far from calm. At 71, he still has the enthusiasm of a newcomer and doesn’t take himself too seriously. His latest play, ‘Jaane Pehchaane Anjaane’, explores modern relationships by taking the audience through the journeys of couples of different age groups – from the elderly to Generation Z.Asked about relationships today, Kher said, “Nowadays, people break up on WhatsApp, right? In my first love, it took me six months just to touch my finger. In our generation, there was joy in taking time. I don’t know how today’s generation lives. One of the stories in the play is also about today’s youth. There are terms like “bank” and that. People today may not have the same sense of commitment, but we had a romance. I am not criticizing any generation; I think every generation is wonderful. It’s just giving each other time.”He further elaborated: “For example, my parents were married for 59 years. I’ve been married for 41 years. How many marriages can last these days? People have no patience.” She got married to Anupam Kher Kirron Kher in 1985The couple has been together for over four decades, when asked about his mantra for a happy and long marriage, Kher said, “You should be friends because you don’t break a friend’s heart. When you hit it below the belt, the same partner who trusted you with something at a very vulnerable time and you remember that person in a fight, it’s really bad. So mutual respect is important and mutual respect is important.“Speaking about being on stage, she admits she still has butterflies. “I actually have elephants. The day I do a show, I don’t eat until the show is over. I’ve done 500 shows of Kuch Bhi Ho Sakta Ka, I’ve never eaten until the show is over. It’s a distracted audience. And you see, it’s very sensitive. One person is having a drink, another is looking at the energy of the audience together, and then he turns the audience to look at the playback. It’s a task in itself. But it’s a satisfying task.” ‘Jaane Pehchaane Anjaane’ also sees Swaroop Sampat along with Kher. On the film front, Kher has recently directed ‘Tanvi The Great’ which received rave reviews.
