Daddy Cool

That’s an unusual projection. But Kaushik—a friend from his days as an NSD student in 1975-78—elaborates, ‘‘Anupam is not just creative and intelligent, he knows how to deal with people, and how to stay in touch. He also has tremendous leadership qualities.’’ So? ‘‘So, I don’t know whether the post he will hold will be political or not,’’ he continues, ‘‘but I am sure it will be of great importance.’’

When Kher performed his autobiographical play Kuch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai in Delhi last week, the audience included Union Ministers Ravi Shankar Prasad and Rajiv Pratap Rudy and Rajya Sabha MP Rajiv Shukla. They certainly aren’t among the city’s regular theatre-goers. Does this have something to do with his networking abilities? ‘‘I think it has something to do with my credibility as an actor,’’ Kher shoots back.

The people skills were very much in evidence even while he was teaching acting at the Bhartendu Natya Academy (BNA) in Lucknow after leaving NSD. ‘‘He shows interest in you as a person,’’ says current NSD Repertory chief Suresh Sharma, Kher’s student at BNA. ‘‘Even now, if you call him he makes it a point to return the call. We have had teachers and students at NSD who are now in films who do not bother to extend that courtesy.’’ Film journalists will vouch for the fact that this is a rare quality among Bollywood stars.

Ask him if he’s close to the BJP (after all, he’s bagged two important government posts during their time at the Centre) and Kher replies, ‘‘Since these are government appointments, it suits people to say that I have friends in the government. I’m just glad no one has said I don’t have the ability to do either job.’’

That hasn’t happened yet. But there are those who feel he must focus his enthusiasm. ‘‘He’s very energetic,’’ says theatre director Kirti Jain who is on NSD’s governing body. ‘‘He clearly wants to do a lot of things, though I’m not sure what.’’ Feroz Khan, his director in Kuch Bhi, describes him as ‘‘continuously charged and positive’’, but adds this caveat, ‘‘As a professional he’s slightly distracted because he’s doing too many things at the same time.’’ How do you break that to a man who says, ‘‘There are 24 hours in a day and the body needs only six hours of sleep’’? Anupam Kher would have an answer to that one too.