For his character on the successful Canadian series Bellevue, Anupam Kher was named after his long-time friend and actor Anil Kapoor. When the news broke, it created quite some buzz. However, the big hoo-ha over the veteran actor being named after 24 actor, has finally ended in an anticlimax.
Anupam has now decided to change his character’s name. “There are a lot of Indians across the world who watch Bellevue. Calling myself ‘Dr Anil Kapoor’ in the series would have seemed gimmicky to them. So, I’ve decided to ask the producers to change my name.”
Earlier this week, there was a hue and cry over Anupam being named after his friend. Even Anil jokingly tweeted that he would like royalty for his name being used.
“It was all getting a little too messy,” says Anupam. “Of course, Anil asking for royalty was a joke, but so much was made out of it. In our country, we like to focus on irrelevant stuff,” he continues.
The actor leaves for New York in March to shoot the pilot of Bellevue. He will be flying in and out from Mumbai to New York to continue with the shooting of the show in the second-half of the year. “I love to challenge myself as an actor. And I am lucky enough to get those challenges in America. When I do work there I am treated as a newcomer. So I work with the enthusiasm of someone who is just starting out (in the West).”
