In a career that has spanned over forty years, Anupam Kher has brought to life an extraordinary range of characters on screen. Known for constantly pushing his boundaries, the actor has never hesitated to take on roles that test his craft. Among his many memorable performances, Kher says the most demanding ones were those of Mahatma Gandhi and former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh — both of which he portrayed with remarkable authenticity. His upcoming portrayal of Rabindranath Tagore is yet to release, but if his past work is any indication, audiences can expect another powerful performance.
Speaking with ANI, Kher opened up about the challenges behind these transformations. “Portraying the characters of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, Dr Manmohan Singh, and Mahatma Gandhi was extremely difficult.
Among them, Dr Manmohan Singh’s portrayal proved to be the most difficult. With Gurudev Tagore and Mahatma Gandhi, we have numerous references in the form of archival footage, photographs, and even films that help capture their essence. Their personalities belong to a bygone era, pre and post Independence, often seen in black and white,” he explained.
He added that playing Dr Singh came with its own unique difficulties.
“But Dr Manmohan Singh’s different… he’s someone we’ve seen in our own time, on television, in news clips, and delivering speeches. He had very mild mannerisms. Voice was mild. And the whole persona was difficult. And it was on an edge. The character was on the edge of the blade,” Kher recalled.
To get every detail right, Kher said he devoted months to studying and rehearsing Singh’s mannerisms. “I rehearsed for 5-6 months with his mannerisms.
How he sits, how he walks. And when we were shooting in England, on the first day, I was rehearsing to climb and get down the stairs. So someone shot a video. And he uploaded it. It went viral. A lot of people didn’t know. It was in the interior of London, outside a house in a village,” he shared with a smile.
Kher also recalled a lighthearted moment when his preparation paid off in an unexpected way. “The biggest thing was that his voice had a particular style.
And then that was very important. So I made a joke with my friend. So I called him in his voice… My friend in Delhi almost believed that…and that was my real test,” he said, laughing.
On Thursday, the veteran actor took to Instagram to share a collage of himself as Tagore, Gandhi, and Manmohan Singh, celebrating his journey through these historic figures. “Three Characters — One Actor! Sometimes you need to keep making yourself and some other people realize your worth! Sounds good! All hail,” he captioned the post.
