He has effortlessly straddled arthouse and mainstream cinema in India for 25 years, and now actor Anupam Kher is going to Hollywood to work with American director Woody Allen, a filmmaker he has always admired. Kher, 54, made a memorable Bollywood debut with “Saaransh” in 1984, earning critical acclaim for playing a 65-year-old while still a young man. Twenty-five years later, he's a familiar sight in Indian movies and has also acted in British productions like the 2002 film “Bend it like Beckham.” By bagging a role in Allen's next project, Kher has joined other Indian actors - Aishwarya Rai, Irrfan Khan, Om Puri and Freida Pinto - who have made a mark in Hollywood. Kher plays Pinto's father in Allen's untitled project, which is to be filmed in London later this year. The Indian actor spoke to Reuters about clinching the role on the same day “Saaransh” was specially screened to mark the film's 25th anniversary.
