I am special even in the world of Aamir Khan and Amitabh Bachchan: Anupam Kher

Mumbai: Veteran Bollywood actor Anupam Kher says he is special even in the world of Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan and superstar Aamir Khan.

“I am special even in the world of Aamir Khan and Amitabh Bachchan because none worked with Robert De Niro except me. I am special not because of achievements, not because of awards.

“I am special as I consider it is very important to recognise what is special,” Kher said on the theme ‘Bringing out the best in you’ at the INFOCOM 2015, the Information & Communication Technology (ICT) summit here last night.

Kher worked with Hollywood superstsar De Niro in 'Silver Linings Playbook' in 2012.

The 60-year-old actor said his achievement lies in the fact that he addressed a gathering of senior IT officials and leaders, when he himself was poor in academics in school.

Retracing his childhood days, Kher said, “I was born in a poor family. My father was a clerk in forest department in Shimla who used to earn Rs 90 per month and lived happily in a joint family.

“I was very bad in studies. Once I got 38 per cent marks. But now I am standing on stage and addressing you who are much more educated. Why? Because I chose to interpret power of myself. All of us need to do that. We need to trust ourselves,” he said.

In his over an hour address, where he touched a whole range of common man’s issues, Kher also dwelt on the need to spread positivity and rued how breaking news meant only incidents of rape, shootings, corruption and scandal.

“There is a breaking news in every 15 minutes and you are made to think you are living in a dangerous world,” he said adding “I don’t think of negative things.”

“Our country is going through a good phase but there is a section of people, who don’t want that. But this is not the platform to talk on that,” he said.

Kher, who is essaying Indian captain M S Dhoni’s father Pan Singh in the biopic 'M S Dhoni: The Untold Story', recalled the encounter with senior Dhoni during Ranchi shoot a week back.

The actor said he is planning to build an orphanage, like the ones abroad, in two-three years time.