I’m impressed with Chennai city: Anupam

It's a secluded farm in Kelambakkam, on the outskirts of Chennai and the place is bustling with activity. Amidst the commotion and chaos, Bollywood actor Anupam Kher is sitting calmly, rehearsing his lines for the third Tamil film — he has earlier acted in R K Selvamani's Kutrapathirikai (in which he played Rajiv Gandhi) and the Prabhu Deva-Abbas starrer VIP — in his film career.

"The film is titled Mudhalvar Mahatma and is directed by Balakrishnan, who earlier made Kamaraj," begins Anupam.
So, what made him agree to do a Tamil project after so many years? "The script," he says, "deals with a fanciful premise — what if Gandhiji is back in our country? It's a small budget film, but Balakrishnan hasn't compromised on anything. It's a film, treated in a serious manner."
But Anupam admits that he hasn't seen Balakrishnan's Kamaraj. "That's because I don't judge a person based on his previous work. Bala seems like a sincere person. He's put in his own money to make this film and I was convinced by his script," he asserts.
He adds as an after-thought, "At times, actors do a film because they have belief in the script. Sometimes, it's only for the money. But, most of the time, it's because of a hunch."
In the film, Anupam plays a chief minister who believes in the fundamentals of Bapuji. So, does he believe in Gandhi's principles in real life as well? "Totally! But, we need to modernise his thought process to su it today's scenario. Today, any conviction will hold water only if you manage to generate interest. It all depends on how you market Gandhi's ideas," he says.
The actor is back in Chennai after eight months. And every time, he feels completely at home. "Every time I'm in the city, I make it a point to meet (actor) Arvind Swami, a close friend of mine. This is also the first time I saw the IT side of Chennai. Man, I'm impressed!," he says.
Given that the man is in love with the city, will he do more Tamil films now? "Definitely! In the past few years, Kollywood has evolved immensely and I find many films making it to the international film festivals. Not only that, I've many dear friends here and have even worked with many of them including Rajinikanth and NTR. My film, A Wednesday, was remade in Tamil as Unnaipol Oruvan with Kamal and Mohanlal. Though I haven't seen the Tamil version, I've heard good things about it. I would be delighted to take up Tamil offers now," he smiles and signs off.
Working with Woody
Not many know that Anupam has been a part of a Woody Allen film. "I love that guy and would give an arm and a leg to share screen with him. However, this film wasn't a commercial one and I wasn't paid anything great. But, it was a great opportunity for me," says the actor, who deems it a privilege to have worked with the master filmmaker.