Anupam Kher’s latest and eagerly anticipated offering, “Mera Woh Matlab Nahin Tha” played at a packed Massey Hall in Toronto as part of its North American tour on Saturday, August 29. As expected, it was well worth the wait. The versatile actor, along with his talented co-star Neena Gupta, brought the capacity crowd to its feet with their flawless performance.
For Toronto’s South Asian community, it was a chance to get a much more intimate and personal glimpse of one of their favorite and most respected stars. “Mera Woh Matlab Nahin Tha” is an invitation for a walk down the memory lane with childhood sweethearts Pritam (Kher) and Hema (Gupta), who reunite after 35 years and examine the reasons why they drifted apart.
Mr. Kher is no stranger to the Canadian movie industry, having worked on the 2011 movie Breakaway with young Canadian actor, Vinay Virmani. In fact, Kher even called him to share the stage after the play. The warmth between the two was evident as Vinay described Kher as a “valued mentor and master of his craft.”
Vinay also had a special surprise for Anupam Kher, as he introduced the honorable Minister for Citizenship and Immigration, Chris Alexander, who was on hand with a personal message for Anupam Kher from Canadian Prime minister Stephen Harper. The Minister also presented Kher with a special recognition from the Canadian government, to honor and celebrate his diverse body of work and immense contribution to Canadian and global cinema.
Much like the title of his hugely popular TV show “Kuch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai,” Anupam Kher’s life is a study in how to make the seemingly impossible, possible. Few would have imagined that a young man from Shimla who boarded a train from Mumbai armed with a few rupees in his pocket and a dream in his heart, would 31 years later have worked with Robert De Niro in an Academy Award winning movie, and won two National awards, eight Filmfare awards and a Padma Shri.
Anupam Kher has recently added to his impressive list of accomplishments by turning author with a motivational bestseller, “The Best Thing About You Is You.” He also runs a charity out of Mumbai for underprivileged children called the Anupam Kher Foundation.
