Anupam Kher talks about his upcoming film Shiv Shastri Balboa; says, “After 38 years in the movie business I am on the main poster with my heroine”

Anupam Kher along with Shiv Shastri Balboa's star cast shares their views on the film and their roles in it.

February 1, 2023 - 4:31 PM IST

After being in show business for more than three decades, veteran actor Anupam Kher says his upcoming feature film Shiv Shastri Balboa is significant because it allowed him the chance to play the titular role. The film, which was directed by Ajayan Venugopalan, is marketed as a compelling account of an Indian man's struggle for existence in a small town in America.

Anupam Kher talks about his upcoming film Shiv Shastri Balboa; says, “After 38 years in the movie business I am on the main poster with my heroine”

Anupam Kher while talking about his upcoming film Shiv Shastri Balboa, recently told reporters “Neena and I have been doing so much work for years. Now, we have got this recognition. Earlier, I would have a small face on a poster of a film. Now, after 38 years in the movie business I am on the main poster with my heroine. That is a great achievement”.

“All this you can achieve with hard work and not necessarily (with) stardom. In my 37 years of career, there are many people who came and went, but we are still here,” he further added.

Actress Neena Gupta, whose career took off after featuring in movies like Badhaai Ho, Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar, and the Netflix series Masaba Masaba, said she feels fortunate to avoid being pigeonholed as a mother on-screen. She said, “I am getting to do good roles that are close to my age. I am not just playing the mummy roles. In one film, I am playing the title role. It is a very big thing for me.”

She further added, “This divide between supporting actors shouldn’t be there. An actor is an actor, irrespective of whether they are in a supporting role or not, I will do my job honestly as an actor.”

Nargis Fakhri described Shiv Shastri Balboa as a realistic movie and expressed her excitement to take a supporting part in it. She said, “I have seen the change that has happened in the past couple of years. A lot of movies and series are happening on OTT, I have seen that content is the most important thing”. Further, talking about her role in the film she added, “When I read this story, I knew it was original and real, and the characters are important to the story. I am a supporting actor (in this film), I believe without me it (story) will be incomplete.”

Shiv Shastri Balboa, which is being directed by Ajayan Venugopalan, will be released in theatres on February 10. The film is portrayed as a “fascinating tale of survival of an Indian in a small town in America”. Anupam has asserted that the film will explore extraordinary personality of an ordinary person.

Anupam Kher has many interesting projects lined up in his pipeline. The actor started working on The Vaccine War as well. This is his second collaboration with director Vivek Agnihotri after last year's blockbuster, The Kashmir Files. The actor also has Kangana Ranaut's directorial, Emergency. Other films are Kuch Khatta Ho Jaaye, Anurag Basu's Metro In Dino with Aditya Roy Kapur and Sara Ali Khan, The Signature with Mahima Chaudhry, IB71 and Nautanki.

Also Read: Anupam Kher credits Dilip Kumar for making him a star with Subhash Ghai’s Karma