Anupam Kher will be seen in a judge’s role in One Day Justice Delivered. (Photo: Anupam Kher/APH Images)Actor Anupam Kher is all set to portray the character of Judge Tyagi in upcoming film One Day: Justice Delivered. The actor says his curiosity about a judge’s psyche while he gives a verdict on a case made him take up the role.
In an exclusive conversation with indianexpress.com, Anupam opened up on the film and his fondness for such scripts.
Here are excerpts from the conversation:
Q. You’ve done varied roles. What sort of prep went into playing a judge?
Judge is a generalised statement but Judge Tyagi is a certain kind of person. He is warm and affectionate. He is a family man and a judge. But the story doesn’t end there. There is another side to him. He takes the law in his own hands after he retires to punish those he had to let go because of lack of evidence. That is where the contradiction in the character comes and that made the film quite challenging as well.
I always had the curiosity about what goes in a judge’s mind when he has to take a decision going against his own will but keeping the law in mind. So, I really liked the role and the script. I wanted to do the character differently. I don’t carry the baggage of 500 films. I am not that impressed with Anupam Kher. So, when I get to work with new people who bring something new to a script, I am more than happy to be part of the film.
Q. We have had courtroom dramas and thrillers before. How is One Day Justice Delivered different?
It is a chase between the police (represented by Esha Gupta) and the man who is in the public domain and not a criminal. It is a thriller. It is not a courtroom drama. He happens to be the judge who had to let go of certain criminals because of lack of evidence. So, he takes the law in his hands. And that is when this strong-headed Haryanvi cop (Esha) comes, who has a different way of dealing with cases.
Q. We noticed that in the last three years at least, you have selected films like Naam Shabana, Aiyaary, Hotel Mumbai and more. Is there a fondness for such scripts?
I am an actor. Acting is my job. As Anupam Kher, when I choose films, I do not keep in mind what sort of change they bring to society. Something good comes out of a film, fantastic. If it doesn’t, no problem. Being an actor means to be able to do different sort of roles. So, if we start looking at films with the intention to give out a message, there would not be many projects to do in today’s scenario. Now, when I do films like Toilet Ek Prem Katha, I know that it is going to benefit society. When I do films like One Day Justice Delivered, it is to propagate the theory that we are lacking behind in giving justice to people. We are delayed. And as they say, justice delayed is justice denied. It (the film) focuses on that angle as well. We used to watch Mahabharat and Ramayan by putting garlands on televisions. Now, there is a change. Acting is my job and I will be more than happy to do justice to it.
Q. We are seeing that there are more takers now for films with unique concepts. What is your opinion?
I think this is the golden era of the film business. The audience has changed completely. There are millions of mediums of information. So, we have to be really good in what we do for them to see us.
Q. Your autobiography is going to be out. What can we expect out of it?
It is a huge chapter of my life that I would love to share with you soon.
