Anupam Kher

After working with Woody Allen, sharing screen space with De Niro was a dream come true. ”

I cannot take away the fact I am a small-town boy from India, from a lower-middle class family, and was actually standing in front of De Niro - not on an equal level, but as an actor, on the same pedestal. ”

I was born in a poor family, a lower middle class family. My father was a clerk in the forest department. I was very bad at studies. I was not very good at sports, also. ”

Every individual suffers from the fear of failure, but you can change your destiny only when you overcome it. ”

I had spent many days hungry; had slept on railway stations at times because I did not have money to pay for a hotel room... there were moments when I felt I had compromised my dignity as a human being and as an actor. ”

Every time I've crossed to a new level of film acting, the film has been a breakthrough project. ”

As for my stand, I think it has become difficult in our country to be a Hindu and a liberal at the same time. ”

I'm very happy doing what I'm doing; I don't think I'm prepared to devote my time to politics. When I am, I'd like to give it 100%. I'm not in the frame of mind, and I'm too greedy an actor to do that. ”

One time I nearly experienced failure was when I was acting in 'Hum Aapke Hain Kaun' in 1994. One day, I woke up and found that part of my face was paralysed. ”

When I staged the play and narrated my story to the audience, people found it amazing that after facing so many hardships, I have gone on to do 482 films. ”