Anupam Kher turns 60 with a new play

9 Mar 2015

A working birthday is the best possible treat that Anupam Kher could provide himself. As he turned 59 on Saturday, Anupam staged his new Hindi play Mera Woh Matlab Nahin Ttha for 3,000 exclusive invitees. Present at the event were some of Anupam's closest friends like David Dhawan, Shatrughan Sinha, Pahlaj Nihalani, Satish Kaushik, Riteish Deshmukh and his wife Genelia D'Souza.

Exhilarated and as excited as a school boy, Anupam says, "I planned it this way. I made sure that Mera Woh Matlab Nahin Ttha was premiered on my birthday. It was the best way I could bring in my birthday. I want to keep working until I live." On the eve of his birthday, Anupam Kher hosted a show of the play for the students of his acting school. "It was a kind of rehearsal for the show on Saturday and also my way of sharing my new play with my students who are so close to me." As for the cake-cutting ritual, the students of his school made sure Anupam blew the right number of candles. "I don't feel my age at all. One feels old only when the excitement runs out of one's life," says Anupam.

Looking back on his enormously successful life Anupam says, "Things never happen to you. You have to make them happen. I've always pushed to realize my dreams. People ask me why I take on such stressful aspirations. But it's this stress that has kept me going. I want to be known as somebody who broke the rules and created his own place in the creative field." Anupam Kher wanted his wife Kirron Kher to play the female lead opposite him in Mera Woh Matlab Nahin Ttha. "But she couldn't join me on stage because of her political commitments. Neena Gupta is a wonderful actress. It's a pleasure sharing the stage with her."