Anupam Kher recalls Lucknow days, tells Lucknow University students to chase passion, not marks

LUCKNOW: ‘Don’t worry about marks, just follow your passion’ – this was the word of advice to students from versatile actor Anupam Kher who shared the experiences of his Lucknow days during virtual interface with youngsters as part of LU centenary celebrations on Sunday.
During the talk, moderated by poet Yatindra Mishra, Kher spoke about his struggles and how marks and medals are not everything.“Lessons taught by life and pursuing one’s passions can help achieve anything,” he said.
“I never intellectualized my work. Apne kandhey pe gold medal leke nahin ghoomta main (I don’t brag about my gold medals). For me, journey is more important than the destination. I scored poorly in academics but still if I am here at a university, it means I have done something in my life,” he said. “My competition was with myself. Mera muqaam main tha (My destination was my own self),” he added.
Kher said he did not study at LU but had fond memories of passing by the university every day as he lived in Niralanagar.
“Now, I may romanticize the past and my struggle but those days were really tough. I used to act in plays for Rs 100. Hard work paid and I got a job of Rs 1,200 per month at Bhartendu Natya Academy,” he recalled. When asked by the poet why he accepted the role of an elderly man (in ‘Saraansh’) at such a young age and was it not a risk, he replied: “If you try you risk failure, if you don’t, you ensure it. Main hero nahin actor banne aya tha (I wanted to be an actor, not a hero).”
“My father was my best friend. He used to say that failure is an event,” he added.
Kher motivated students not to be scared of failures and said, “Coronavirus pandemic has taught us many things. It has made us realize that we need very few things to stay happy.” During the interaction, the actor also appreciated a poem, ‘Ladkiyan bahut ladaka hoti hain’ by a Lucknow-based poet Pankaj Prasoon.