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Anupam Kher is widely regarded among the finest actors of Indian cinema. Known for his wide ranges of performances in Bollywood over the years, Kher has also gone on to be a part of many International films. These include Bend it Like Beckham (2001), Lust, Caution (2007), Hotel Mumbai (2019), and most memorably Oscar-winning Silver Linings Playbook (2012).
It was a romantic comedy-drama film directed by David O. Russell and featured a stellar cast alongside Kher. It was led by Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, and the legendary Robert De Niro played a supporting role. While many remember Silver Linings Playbook for its stellar cast and compelling performances, there’s an untold story from the film’s set, one that involved Kher standing his ground in front of acting giant like Robert De Niro. For Kher, it wasn’t about fame or screen time, it was about dignity.
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On the Qisse with Kopal (Via News18) podcast, Anupam Kher’s son Sikandar Kher offered a rare glimpse behind the scenes of Silver Linings Playbook. He revealed that during rehearsals, Robert De Niro, his father’s longtime idol, expressed doubts about Kher’s character being present in a specific scene. According to De Niro, the character he portrayed wouldn’t realistically allow Kher’s character into the house. It was an artistic concern, not personal, but it carried weight. Most actors would’ve quietly accepted the change. Anupam Kher didn’t.
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“He thought, let me just give them a piece of my mind,” Sikandar recalled. “And he went and gave the director a piece of his mind in front of the whole set—there’s Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Chris Tucker, Robert De Niro…” Standing alone in a room full of Hollywood elites, Kher made his case to director David O. Russell. He spoke clearly, firmly, and with conviction about why his presence in the scene mattered. The entire cast listened. Then Russell turned to De Niro and asked, “Bob?” De Niro simply nodded: “Okay.”
In that moment, a man from India, virtually unknown to many in the room, earned his place not just in the scene, but in the respect of his peers. “My father is a nobody there, he’s from India,” Sikandar said. “He could’ve lost that part. But he went there and just did it, and held on to his self-respect. That’s the stuff I need to learn.”
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