Anupam Kher’s brother, actor-director Raju Kher, recently opened up about facing financial struggles after being cheated in a television project. Raju admitted that he expected his brother, who was already a well-established actor by then, to help him during his financial woes. However, he was taken aback when he did not receive the help he had expected.
‘Sold flat to invest in a show, channel disappeared’
Speaking about the incident and how he sold his house to make a show for a channel that disappeared overnight, Raju told Siddharth Kannan, “There was a time when I was going through a bad phase. I had sold my house because a new channel was coming, so I had bought a flat elsewhere. A new channel was going to launch and many people were making pilots, agreements were already signed. I also made a programme Life Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega. Suddenly, I got to know that the channel has disappeared. I had invested the money that I got from selling the flat in that programme. I thought that I had a first-class life, a 4-BHK house, everything set for the family. And then, the channel disappeared and no one knew what happened.. there was just a lock on their door.”
‘Felt that my brother did not help me out’
Raju saw no work coming his way and also faced the pressure of paying rent. During this difficult phase, he expected Anupam Kher to help him. However, Anupam was also going through a difficult phase professionally, as he had stopped taking up projects because he was waiting for substantial roles. This made Raju feel that his brother could have done more to help him.
He said, “I also felt the pressure to pay the rent. I had no one else, I could only talk to my brother, and I thought he will help me. But at that time, he had also stopped working. The reason was that he didn’t want to do any of those weird films, he wanted substantial roles. So, I felt that my brother did not help me out. ‘He could have done so,’ that was my thought at that time.”
‘Took Anupam for granted’
However, during the same interaction, Raju admitted that although he had expected Anupam to help him, he later gained a different perspective after reading one of his brother’s interviews. Raju recalled reading an interview in which Anupam spoke about his wish to have a child of his own.
For the unversed, Anupam is married to actor Kirron Kher. Kirron was already a mother to Sikander Kher from her first marriage, and Anupam has often spoken about Sikander as his own child.
Raju said that hearing Anupam speak about his regret of not having a child of his own made him realise that he had taken his brother ‘for granted’. He had assumed that because Anupam was financially successful, he did not have problems of his own. Raju eventually understood that his brother was also dealing with his own struggles.
About Raju Kher
Raju Kher is an actor and director who has worked extensively in Hindi films and television. He began his acting career in the 1990s and has appeared in films including Ghulam, Jungle, Om Jai Jagadish, Shootout at Wadala, Krrish 3, Main Tera Hero, Uunchai and Patna Shuklla.
Raju also directed the 1999 TV serial Sanskaar and has helmed shows including Manzile, Abhilasha and Ret Ka Dariya.