Posted:
My son underwent abusive violence: Anil Kapoor
As I was at Hotel Radisson in Gurgaon – waiting for the press conference to begin – I was startled to see Anil Kapoor, standing right on my left. I knew he was coming as the chief guest of the event, but on time! Yes, he was there at the exact time I was told by the PR; I never believed her though. But here he was. Unlike many Bollywood big stars! And he was minus any black glares. Again, unlike many Bollywood big stars. It baffled me a bit but I was impressed.
The press conference was organised by Plan India – a child-centered NGO working to advance the lives of vulnerable children in India. The association supports children in difficult circumstances and serves as a platform to raise funds for the same in more than one ways. And being the active supporter and a goodwill ambassador of the group for the past three years, Anil Kapoor made sure he was present there to inaugurate its nationwide campaign – Learn without Fear.
He opened his speech with a thanking note, "I'm glad to see such a large number of people here, for this sacred cause. We need your support." And then, he unraveled many things we didn't know about the noted actor. "The very first ad of my life was for this association, for the child registration programme. I was quite apprehensive and nervous but finally it came out to be a nice one," accounted Kapoor. "And it's been a wonderful journey since then," he added.
He not only enthusiastically participates in Plan India's each plan himself but also motivates his friends to be a part of it in one way or the other. "Few friends of mine were not very sure which NGO to donate money. I told them about Plan India; they searched about it and donated money here. Even Priyanka Chopra did this," Anil chirped.
I wondered what induced him to be associated with Plan India and he immediately spilled the beans, "Though I never went through any child abuse myself in school, still I identify with the group. And the reason is my son, Harshvardhan. He experienced a lot of abusive violence during his school days that affected him so much. I noticed many changes in him. Without delay, I spoke to him and got to know about all that." But I couldn't understand why his son was maltreated despite being a star kid! And pat came the reply, "That's the reason he endured such treatment, in fact. He was ragged and teased for being Anil Kapoor's son and was thrown out of the school."
Further adding, the actor said, "Every child needs to be treated differently. We need your support. One must highlight and propagate this child rights programme as far as possible for the betterment of the society. I will always support Plan India."
When asked would he like to make a film on such a sensitive subject, he quipped, "Why not? I would love to. I played a mentally challenged part in Eeshwar. He was an autistic child. Even in Yuvvraj, I'm playing a similar kind of act. For this film, I visited a school in Khar; I was moved by the picture I saw there. Teachers were so very supportive and there was a glow in every kid's eyes. Really, you need to be very patient to teach such children. Obviously, making a film on that will be the easiest thing to do. I will definitely do that." And Mr. Kapoor, you can enact and carry out the roles of both – the teacher and the child – with lan, thanks to your versatile acting skills.
I took my opportunity and threw the question at him as to who were his favourite co-stars and he embarrassed me, "You." But he continued with a smile, "Katrina (Kaif), Salman (Khan) and Zayed (Khan)... since they are my co-actors in Yuvvraj.
Anil Kapoor is one Bollywood actor who always manages to do just the right things at the right time. One of the most versatile and evergreen actors in tinsel town, he looks amazingly fit even today. I asked him the secret and there came the reply with a big smile, "I workout everyday, for at least an hour; but I couldn't manage that today." We understand Mr. Kapoor, your hectic schedules, sometimes, keep you away from the gym.
The event was concluded with a simple yet delectable lunch, right Anil?
The press conference was organised by Plan India – a child-centered NGO working to advance the lives of vulnerable children in India. The association supports children in difficult circumstances and serves as a platform to raise funds for the same in more than one ways. And being the active supporter and a goodwill ambassador of the group for the past three years, Anil Kapoor made sure he was present there to inaugurate its nationwide campaign – Learn without Fear.
He opened his speech with a thanking note, "I'm glad to see such a large number of people here, for this sacred cause. We need your support." And then, he unraveled many things we didn't know about the noted actor. "The very first ad of my life was for this association, for the child registration programme. I was quite apprehensive and nervous but finally it came out to be a nice one," accounted Kapoor. "And it's been a wonderful journey since then," he added.
He not only enthusiastically participates in Plan India's each plan himself but also motivates his friends to be a part of it in one way or the other. "Few friends of mine were not very sure which NGO to donate money. I told them about Plan India; they searched about it and donated money here. Even Priyanka Chopra did this," Anil chirped.
I wondered what induced him to be associated with Plan India and he immediately spilled the beans, "Though I never went through any child abuse myself in school, still I identify with the group. And the reason is my son, Harshvardhan. He experienced a lot of abusive violence during his school days that affected him so much. I noticed many changes in him. Without delay, I spoke to him and got to know about all that." But I couldn't understand why his son was maltreated despite being a star kid! And pat came the reply, "That's the reason he endured such treatment, in fact. He was ragged and teased for being Anil Kapoor's son and was thrown out of the school."
Further adding, the actor said, "Every child needs to be treated differently. We need your support. One must highlight and propagate this child rights programme as far as possible for the betterment of the society. I will always support Plan India."
When asked would he like to make a film on such a sensitive subject, he quipped, "Why not? I would love to. I played a mentally challenged part in Eeshwar. He was an autistic child. Even in Yuvvraj, I'm playing a similar kind of act. For this film, I visited a school in Khar; I was moved by the picture I saw there. Teachers were so very supportive and there was a glow in every kid's eyes. Really, you need to be very patient to teach such children. Obviously, making a film on that will be the easiest thing to do. I will definitely do that." And Mr. Kapoor, you can enact and carry out the roles of both – the teacher and the child – with lan, thanks to your versatile acting skills.
I took my opportunity and threw the question at him as to who were his favourite co-stars and he embarrassed me, "You." But he continued with a smile, "Katrina (Kaif), Salman (Khan) and Zayed (Khan)... since they are my co-actors in Yuvvraj.
Anil Kapoor is one Bollywood actor who always manages to do just the right things at the right time. One of the most versatile and evergreen actors in tinsel town, he looks amazingly fit even today. I asked him the secret and there came the reply with a big smile, "I workout everyday, for at least an hour; but I couldn't manage that today." We understand Mr. Kapoor, your hectic schedules, sometimes, keep you away from the gym.
The event was concluded with a simple yet delectable lunch, right Anil?
Writers Corner: Books, Stories & Poems
6