Anil Kapoor: I was born in, belong to and will take my last breath in Bollywood

Actor Anil Kapoor has been entertaining the audiences for four decades now through his films. Born to a producer, Surinder Kapoor, he has literally grown up in the film industry, and witnessed every kind of change there could be.

The one thing he is sure about, after the kind of experiences he has had, is that out of everything it takes to make it big in showbiz, talent is indeed a ‘big part of it’.

“But without hard work and focus, talent can become directionless. If you want to make it in this business, you have to be ready to give it your all, to not let setbacks keep you down and to persist in the face of all odds. You need guts and grit to survive and level-headedness to thrive,” admits the 63-year-old.

How was it growing up for him here? How does he find Bollywood as a place? Kapoor gets emotional and says, “I don’t think I ever saw the film industry as anything other than home – the place I was always meant to be. I was born into it, I belong to it and I will take my last breath in it.” 

Which is why the actor has resumed work, and stepped out. The Covid-19 pandemic had halted all work, and the industry had suffered big time. Now with permission given for shoots to resume pan India, though with Standard Operating Procedures in place, he says, “I have resumed shooting so that has been keeping me busy. It feels great to be back and doing what I love. There’s no denying that the way we do things has changed now, but change is exciting. We have started work with careful planning and stringent precautionary measures in place. I have been working on a couple of projects in these past weeks. Slowly and gradually, we all are getting back to work.”

What Kapoor’s fans also didn’t miss is the kind of fitness frenzy he is undergoing ever since the lockdown started. At his age, he looks set to give the younger stars a run for their money.

He laughs and says, “I have been toying with the idea of changing my workout routine for a while now, but it takes several months to really commit to a new regime and my schedule hadn’t allowed for that until recently. The lockdown gave me the perfect opportunity for that and so I poured myself into it and gave it my all. I still have a long way to go but it’s been fun and seeing the results inspires me to push myself even more.”

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