In Conversation With Anupam Kher

Thursday, June 18 at 7:00pm (doors open at 6:30pm)
Film Row Cinema
1104 S. Wabash Avenue, Chicago, IL 60605

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Eye on India is proud to present a conversation  with internationally acclaimed actor, Anupam Kher and Victoria Lautman. From the lovable, comic father in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge; to the ruthless villain and cold businessman in Karma and Rang De Basanti; to the stern father grappling with generational and cultural challenges in Bend It Like Beckham; to the enabling, Philadelphia Eagles-loving psychiatrist in the Oscar-Winning Silver Linings Playbook, legendary actor  Anupam Kher has played more roles than almost any other actor. It is this malleability that allows  Kher to be equally at home working with Yash Chopra and Karan Johar, as he is with Ang Lee and David O. Russell. Kher also costars in the Wachowski brothers’ new Netflix series Sense 8,  premiering June 5.

At this special Eye on India event, Kher chats candidly about life in Bollywood and his forays into international cinema. Kher, the author of the motivational book The Best Thing About You is You! offers thoughts  about celebrity, the masks that actors wear, and the clash of generations and cultures within that most intimate of units, the family.

Anupam Kher

Anupam KherThrough out his 35-year career, Anupam Kher has starred in almost 450 films, and over 100 plays. Some of his most notable Bollywood films include Saaransh (1984), Karma (1986), Daddy (1989) and Darr (1993). In addition, Kher is known internationally for his work in the Golden Globe-nominated Bend It Like Beckham (2002), Lust (2007) and Oscar-winning Silver Linings Playbook, among others. He was also featured in films such as the Hindi version of Up (2009), Pranayam (2011), and Shongram (2014).

Kher won two Special Jury  Awards for his role in Daddy (1989) and Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara. He has also won eight Filmfare Awards in a row including Best Actor for Saaransh, Best Comedian in Ram Lahkan (1989) and Critics Award for Best Performance in Daddy. Kher was awarded the Padma Shri–the fourth highest civilian award that can be given in India–for his contribution to Indian Cinema, and the Divya Himachal Award, with blessings from the Dalai Lama. Until recently, Kher served as chairman  of the Indian Film Censor Board. He is an alumnus of National School of Drama (1978) and was its director between 2001 and 2004.

Victoria Lautman

Victoria Lautman, a long-time print and broadcast  journalist, has been a leading voice in Chicago’s cultural world for many years. She hosted and produced Writers on the Record with Victoria Lautman, the city’s premier author-interview series which was heard on 98.7 WFMT radio from 2004 to 2010. Among the renowned international authors who participated were Martin Amis, Edwidge Danticat, Junot Diaz, Elizabeth Strout, and Frank McCourt. Each hour-long interviewwas broadcast before a live audience. Prior to establishing this free, public series, Victoria was a featured host and contributor on Chicago Public Radio for two decades, starting as a free-lance arts reviewer and later as host of the cultural magazine program, Artistic License, which aired for eight years.

Victoria has written for over a dozen international publications and served as Chicago editor for Metropolitan Home Magazine, Art & Auction, Architectural Record, and HG. She was a design writer for the Chicago Tribune and contributed to Interview, Elle Décor, Architectural Digest, USA Today, the Chicago Sun-Times, and The Huffington Post, among many others outlets. She’s appeared regularly at the Chicago Humanities Festival and the Arts Club of Chicago as a featured interviewer and also lectures throughout the country on topics related to India, the current focus of her career. Her writing has appeared in  Indian editions of Architectural Digest, Vogue, GQ, and The Hindu, and she’s working on a book about India’s forgotten stepwells.

Victoria Lautman has an M.A. in Art History from George Washington University, and a B.A. in Anthropology and Art History from the University of New Mexico.