Actor and motivational speaker Anupam Kher looks back at his own life in a new podcast, where he's unafraid to drop the veneer
Anupam Kher
What does it mean to feel vulnerable? It’s a question this writer has often grappled with, especially when sharing personal snatches from her life on social media or in a blog post, often deliberately, in the hope that someone will take away something from unusual life experiences. Exposing one’s self, however, often comes at a cost.
Actor-writer Anupam Kher seems to have long shed the inhibitions and feelings of vulnerability that come with telling one’s story, and recounting a journey that though, marked by success, is also dotted with anxiety, and tragedy. In the last six years, in fact, Kher has published three books, The Best Thing About You is You! (2014), Lessons Life Taught Me, Unknowingly: An Autobiography (2019), and Your Best Day Is Today! (2020), where the overarching theme is: learn from my own life story. In his recently released podcast, Anupam Cares, for iHeartRadio, he sticks to what he knows best. Incidentally, for the actor turned motivational speaker, there is never a dearth of stories to dip into, or revisit.
Launched in December last year, close on the heels of his third book, Anupam Cares has Kher at his candid best. Already 20 episodes down, with each lasting anywhere between 17 to 25 minutes, Kher takes us back in time, to his childhood in Shimla, early years as an actor, and how they influenced his person. One of the more riveting episodes, told in true Bollywood style, is the first one, The Kiss, where he shares “the long, slippery road that led to my first kiss”. He doesn’t mince words, when he relays how his small-town boyish self, who struggled with English, almost cat-called a girl, whom he was crushing on in school: “Hello lady, sweety, hello cutie… I must kiss you.” The kiss did happen, but in the most unexpected circumstances, and undramatic fashion. It wasn’t an anti-climax, though. Another poignant episode, Live Life, has Kher talk about his full-of-life and generous father, Pushkar Nath, and his last moments with him. He even discusses his own struggles with sleeplessness triggered by depression and how empathy for others, shouldn’t disturb our emotions. But this show is not just about him. In each episode, we also get to hear stories of heroes, mostly unsung, from around the world, who he says “were learning the same lessons and living the same truths” as him.
There is an inimitable quality that comes with being Kher. He is a gifted storyteller, and has a natural flair when recounting stories, both past and present. And so, a podcast of this format and nature works perfectly, especially for a listener with an appetite for learning. Kher also always has something new to say, which makes this anything but stale. If there is repetition, it’s the “motivational” theme that seems to be unchanging. It’s easy to get caught in this juggernaut of wanting to dole out life lessons. But, Kher, we know, has stories waiting inside of him.
What: Anupam Cares
Where: iheart.com; and Spotify
Free
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