Anupam Kher's long-running play Kuch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai goes to US

Anupam Kher (Picture courtesy/AFP)

Bollywood star Anupam Kher is all set to perform his long-running one-man play Kuch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai in the US, showcasing to audiences in America his failures, triumphs and life's lessons through the theatrical production. The play will be presented here (New York) on February 8 by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, USA, and Kher's acting institute Actor Prepares, Mumbai, before a select audience. Kher then plans to perform the play, which is in its 15th year, across other US cities in the coming months.

"The play discovers the journey of all the possibilities that can happen in an individual's life if he follows the path with a sense of wonder and works hard for it. Anything is possible then. According to me, all dreams come true, you just have to work hard for them and be honest," Kher told PTI in an interview.

Kher, who currently plays Dr Vijay Kapoor on the NBC drama "New Amsterdam", says the play narrates his life's journey and celebrates his failures, successes, disappointments and lessons learnt. He adds that his reference point is not what he achieved recently but is "always that small-town boy" from Shimla.

"Whenever I do something in life, my reference point is not what I did last year, but it's the small-town boy. The play will display all those events. I celebrate my failures in the play," he said recalling the words of his father that "failure is an event, never a person." Kher, who has performed the play in other parts of the world over the years, says he strongly believes that Kuch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai (anything is possible) through hard work and determination.

The 64-year-old actor added that the journey of many Indian-Americans demonstrates the incredible stories of hard work and perseverance. Kher said that from Pepsi's former CEO Indra Nooyi to IBM's newly elected chief Arvind Krishna, the journey of many Indian-Americans has been inspiring.

"We are ruling. These are incredible stories. You just have to keep this philosophy intact in life that Kuch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai and work hard for your dreams." The show "New Amsterdam" has been renewed for three more seasons by NBC. Kher said the show is about hope, diversity, change and belief, which the world needs in today's time. "We are surrounded by bad news. This series talks about inclusiveness, changing the system."

On his journey so far of working in the American show, Kher said people come to America when they are in their 20s or 30s but he has come in the country at a much later stage of his life. "I have come here at a period when I should be given a lifetime achievement award in India. But I took the chance," he said adding that he felt that the time has not yet come for him to be given any lifetime achievement awards as there is still a lot to be done.

"I wanted to start from scratch again. Life is about reinventing yourself and you can only reinvent yourself when you put yourself in difficult situations."

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