The actor started off his note as he recounted a testing time at the start of his career. He wrote, “1984 was a make or break year for me. Every day was nerve-racking and it tested my character, my patience. I was desperately looking to get work, get recognised, on my own terms. For someone with no connections in the industry, all I had was my will power and sheer belief in myself to not give up on my dreams”.
The veteran actor shared that he wasn't conventionally good looking to be an actor on screen but he wanted people to see him, the human, the passionate artiste through his work on screen. Prior to venturing into cinema, Anupam had done a four year course of acting, and was a gold medallist from drama school.
He further mentioned, “I was dying to get an opportunity which helped me to tell the world who I was and what I could do on screen. People thought I was arrogant and delusional. But I knew that the rage I had inside me was quietly waiting to tell everyone that they were wrong. And they were and I thank Mahesh Bhatt for it. He gave me ‘Saaransh’, he believed in me when no one else did”.
He continued, “He had the vision to cast me as a 65 year- old man grieving and rebelling because he had lost his son. That role shocked the world and showed everyone that I had it in me to tell everyone not to judge my age to deliver a performance that has become a part of my identity”.
Cut to 2024, the actor said now he is playing a 69 year-old angry man Vijay Matthew who wants to be a triathlon athlete in his forthcoming film ‘Vijay 69’, produced by YRF. The film is a mark of his resilience and perseverance.
He shared, “In my 40 year-old journey in cinema, two things have stayed constant, one, I have never stopped experimenting and challenging myself and second, somehow I have always ended up championing the common man. My childhood, my roots, my formative years in this film industry play a huge part in this. I cannot take away the fact I am a small-town boy from India, from a lower-middle class family, having gone through challenging experiences I treasure deeply. I go back to the emotions I felt as a child even today when I have to deliver a scene”.
He said that his father, who was a clerk, is a huge inspiration to him. He was a common man with dreams in his eyes.
The actor wrote, “I can never forget his eyes...they spoke too much even when he didn't speak a word... So whenever I portray a common man, I play him on screen. It is never a performance. It is always him and the common man that I represent on screen. I never thought of quitting acting even when the going was tough, never will be... I'm NOT A QUITTER! never”.
He continued, “I have thrived on my failures. Failure teaches you much more than success. When I had facial paralysis during the shooting of a Hum Aap Ke Hain Kaun, people thought my career was over. I overcame it. I was a Hindi medium guy. I went on to do huge Hollywood films with top Hollywood artists like Robert De Niro, Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Keira Knightley, among others. I went bankrupt in 2002”.
Anupam said that ‘Vijay 69’ is a reflection of his belief in the human spirit that never gives up, and is deeply personal to him.
He went on, “Life is truly a gift that keeps giving. I couldn't have asked for a better film to cap my 40 years in cinema. At 69, I learnt swimming because of Vijay 69! It made me realise that age is just a number and only you can stop yourself from new experiences”.
“I trained to be a triathlon athlete, broke my shoulder, suffered countless injuries but it was all worth it. I request everyone to be a dreamer. Dreamers achieve what others don't. They see something that others can never imagine seeing. They live a life that's fantastical. So, here's to dreaming with our eyes open because as Vijay Matthew would say, 'Sapno Ki Koi Expiry Date Nahin Hoti'”, he added.
'Vijay 69' is set to drop on Netflix on November 8.
--IANS
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