I don't mind if my 'Dhokha' role offended some: Anupam Kher

Mumbai, Sep 2 (IANS) When an actor prepares for a role he doesn't think of the outcome. When Anupam Kher took on the role of a Kashmiri Muslim in 'Dhokha' people of his clan of Kashmiri Brahmins objected strongly.

'Yes, I'm a Kashmiri Pandit in real life. But in 'Dhokha' I play a Kashmiri Muslim who's a victim of the establishment. It's a role that required me to look at the tragedy of fundamentalism and extremism from the other side. And I don't mind if it offends some people. I'm an actor hungry for experience. I'm ready to play anything from a killer to a comedian to a corpse ('Buddha Mar Gaya').'

In fact, it has been a bumper week for Anupam with two back-to-back releases - 'Dhokha' and 'Victoria 203'. He is doing Ashok Kumar's role in a remake of the 1973 hit 'Victoria 203'.

'And look at the contrast in the two parts on the same Friday. 'Dhokha' is a stark serious look at extremism. I play a traumatised father of a woman accused of being a human bomb. In 'Victoria 203' I'm this aging guy with a roving eye, an incorrigible skirt chaser,' Anupam told IANS.

'Some people might object to an actor of my stature playing such a lech, just as some people objected to a Kashmiri Brahmin playing a Muslim. But acting gives me the freedom to explore avenues galore. I can move from one extreme to another. I was the victimised father in Mahesh Bhatt's 'Saraansh'. I'm a victimised father in 'Dhokha' today.'

About his skirt chaser's role in 'Victoria 203' Anupam says: 'I really enjoyed that role. Om Puri and I had great fun playing the roles originally done by Ashok Kumar and Pran. But I didn't watch the original. I wanted to interpret it in my own way. But we retain the innocence of the two small-towners from the original.'

Anupam also put in a guest appearance in last week's 'Heyy Babby'.

'In 'Heyy Babby' I was playing the character of Shah Rukh's dad from 'Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge'. It was a spoofy homage to one of the biggest hits of Indian cinema.'