He has effortlessly straddled arthouse and mainstream cinema in India for 25 years, and now actor Anupam Kher is going to Hollywood to work with American director Woody Allen, a filmmaker he has always admired.
Kher, 54, made a memorable Bollywood debut with "Saaransh" in 1984, earning critical acclaim for playing a 65-year-old grandfather while still a young man.
Twenty-five years later, he's a familiar sight in Indian movies and has also acted in British productions like the 2002 film "Bend it like Beckham."
By bagging a role in Allen's next project, Kher has joined other Indian actors -- Aishwarya Rai, Irrfan Khan, Om Puri and Freida Pinto -- who have made a mark in Hollywood.
Kher plays Pinto's father in Allen's untitled project, which is to be filmed in London later this year.
The Indian actor spoke about clinching the role on the same day "Saaransh" was specially screened at a Mumbai cinema to mark the film's 25th anniversary. I remember being this starry-eyed actor, thinking my first film would have a glittering premiere."When I went to see the film at Metro (a Mumbai cinema), I stood outside once the show was over, hoping that the crowd would come out, recognize me and offer some form of congratulations. But nobody even recognized me. They expected to see a 65-year-old man, not a young actor."