After his dwarf act in 'Jaanemann', Anupam Kher will be seen in a variety of roles in his forthcoming films. This is his second innings. In a chat with TWF correspondent Vickey Lalwani, he talks about his newly found enthusiasm.

Q: You have many big projects in hand, suddenly?
A: Among them the most talked about is the remake of 'Victoria No. 203', a hit movie from 1973. The original starred Ashok Kumar and Pran.

The remake will have myself and Om Puri reprising the roles of two conmen who find a key that unlocks a door to riches. I play Raja, the role which was done by Ashok saab. The movie will be produced by former actor Kamal Sadanah and directed by Anant Mahadevan (pauses).

Q: Go on...
A: Then, I have signed Rahul Rawail's film 'Buddha Mar Gaya' in which I plays the role of a corpse. My character in the film will be almost dead, but not entirely dead. The film is a black comedy that makes a comment about state of affairs in contemporary times.

Apart from this, I have N Chandra's comeback film 'Breaking News', which tells the story of a crucial day in the lives of various characters, mine being one of them. Then, I have the remake of a Marathi film. And, I am doing Pradeep Sarkar's next, starring Abhishek, Rani, Konkona and Jaya Bachchan.

Q: Buzz is, you doing a sequel to 'Khosla Ka Ghosla'?
A: Actually, this talk started when I happened to answer a journalist who asked me if I would like to do a sequel to KKG. It is still not confirmed whether the sequel will indeed be made. If there is one, I would love to be a part of it.

Q: Would you term this as your second innings?
A: Well, I hadn't gone anywhere. It was just a phase that comes in everybody's life. A classic case in point is Mr Bachchan. I was neither getting good roles, nor I was excited to do them. I had done it all and seen it all. So my enthusiasm was dropping.

Plus I started my acting school, for which I had to travel all over the world to ensure that I have the nest formula to dish out talent. The impact of my acting school will be felt only after 18-20 months.

Q: You are doing a television show also?
A: Yes, I am judging Zee's Cinestar, which is a reality show to pick up talent. The next logical step in life after the acting school would be to get into a judge's shoes. Madhur Bhandarkar and Pooja Bhatt are also judging that show with me. It's fun shooting this TV show.

Q: Do you think that such shows serve any purpose?
A: Why not? I have travelled to producer's offices, and spent several sleepless nights. Such shows at least make them a household name. So when they go to a producer, they don't have to identify themselves.

Q: What are your other plans?
A: I am producing a film titled 'Homeland', which will be directed by Ashok Pandit. I play the main role in that- that of a Kashmiri pandit. My life has taken a turn for the better with 'Khosla Ka Ghosla'.

Q: How difficult it was to play a dwarf in 'Jaanemann'?
A: Very difficult. My back is still paining. I had to constantly bend down and make a conscious effort that it does not look like a fake.

Q: What interested you to play this character?
A: What interested me is the fact the he is a dwarf and from the last 70 years of Hindi cinema this is for the first time that any actor played a dwarf. While in Tamil cinema Mr. Kamal Hasan has done it, he played a circus joker. But this person is not a joker. Instead, he is a normal person except that he is a dwarf. So, I wanted to be the first actor in history of Hindi cinema to play a dwarf.

Q: You have played a wide range of roles over the years. Is there any specific character that you have not played and would like to play in future?
A: If you ask this question to me even when I'm 90, I will say there are hundred more character I could've have done. There is no full stop for an actor, he is always hungry.