Anupam pants after Riteish in 'Apna Sapna...'

Mumbai, Nov 9 (IANS) Versatile actor Anupam Kher plays a half-blind lecher running after Riteish Deshmukh in Sangeeth Sivan's comedy "Apna Sapna Money Money" and says his pairing with Riteish will bring the roof down.

"It's not easy to play an almost blind person whose sympathy factor is lost in his rather embarrassing habit of ogling. Unfortunately or fortunately that's what I do in 'Apna Sapna Money Money'.

"I run after Riteish Desmukh, who's in drag. Does he make an attractive woman? Can't say. My character will answer that. But the Anupam-Riteish pair will bring the roof down. It's really funny," Anupam told IANS.

Anupam, who whetted his appetite to play physically handicapped characters by playing a dwarf in Shirish Kunder's "Jaan-e-Mann", says it wasn't easy to do the role.

Apparently, he had to do the same scenes thrice because of Salman Khan's court cases for killing a Chinkara - a protected species of gazelle - and his hair problem.

"Who has played a dwarf before? Only Kamal Haasan in 'Appu Raja'. And hats off to him! In 'Jaan-e-Mann' I walk on my knees. In 'Appu Raja' Kamal Hassan dug a trench and he walked on a platform. That was ingenious.

"I walked around for days on-end with my leg tied back. I walked on my knees, and the limb below the kneecap was edited out on the computer from every frame. I'm glad it came out fantastically. But to do all these scenes thrice over - it wasn't easy at all."

Anupam is kicked about his stint on a new talent-scouting contest "Idea Zee Cine Stars" on Zee TV.

"I'm one of the judges along with Madhur Bhandarkar and Pooja Bhatt. It's a talent-scouting contest where we'll look at aspiring dancers, singers and actors. What really excites me about this show is that it's tied up with my acting school - An Actor Prepares. All the contestants will be trained by our teachers."

What about mentor Subhash Ghai's acting school, Whistling Woods? Wouldn't Anupam like to teach there?

"Not at all. And Mr. Ghai will never ask me to," was the terse reply.

As for direction, Anupam has put those plans on hold.

"I've suddenly signed some very good films as an actor. To direct another film, I need to be freed from my acting commitments, and I need big stars for my project."

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Apna Sapna Money Money