“I went to my eye doctor and said that I hadn’t been sleeping at night, so when the light fell on my eyes in the morning, I had a lot of difficulty. He said, ‘Mr Kher, I think you need to see a psychiatrist.’ I laughed and thought, ‘I am such a positive person.’”

He eventually met the psychiatrist, but said he approached the consultation in his own way. Taking his book along with him, Anupam Kher decided to ask the doctor about his problems before answering questions about himself.

“So I met the psychiatrist in his clinic and took my book with me. I told the doctor, ‘Before you start asking me questions, I want to ask you a question. Tell me one problem of yours.’ He told me his problem, I gave him a solution and then asked him about the next problem. For about an hour, I kept solving his problems. Then I gave him my book and said, ‘If you have any problem, call me.’”

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Kher said he noticed the doctor writing something on his pad as he was leaving. When he asked what it was, the doctor told him it was his medication and gave him his diagnosis.

“When I was leaving, I saw that he was writing something on his pad, so I asked him what he was writing. He said, ‘Your medication.’ He said, ‘You are manic depressive, and optimism is your problem. You push everything.’”

The actor said the experience eventually led him to become more vocal about mental health and his own struggles.

“Then I became the unofficial brand ambassador for mental health. Even optimism can cause depression.”

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Anupam Kher said he has always openly discused his setbacks instead of hiding them.

“Whatever happens to me, I tell my whole story to the world. I had become bankrupt, I had facial paralysis. At the end of the play, I am the tallest man in the auditorium because when I have told everyone everything, what am I afraid of?”

The play Kher referred to is his autobiographical one-man show Kucch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai. The play was built around his failures, setbacks and difficult experiences, including his financial crisis and facial paralysis. The actor has previously said that the idea for the play emerged when he was going through a particularly difficult phase in his life. He has described it as a way of confronting his failures publicly and even finding humour in them.

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Anupam Kher on going bankrupt

Anupam Kher has spoken openly about the financial crisis he faced after investing heavily in television. He had earlier explained that he had wanted to become a television tycoon and had invested his money and borrowed money to produce television serials.

In an interview with Unfiltered with Samdish, recalling the period, he said, “In 2004, I had almost gone bankrupt because I wanted to become a TV tycoon. We were borrowing money. And I was the first person in my family to ever see Rs 10,000 at once in our family’s 100-year existence. The interest kept mounting and it went so high that my chartered accountant told me we were on the verge of bankruptcy because there was only Rs 400 left in the bank. Both my house and office were mortgaged.”

Anupam Kher on facial paralysis during Hum Aapke Hain Koun

Anupam Kher has also spoken about suffering facial paralysis while shooting for Hum Aapke Hain Koun. In an Instagram note in 2024, he recalled the impact the condition could have had on his career.

“When I had facial paralysis during the shooting of Hum Aap Ke Haun Kaun, people thought my career was over. I overcame it.”

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The actor has previously recalled how he first realised that something was wrong while having dinner at his friend Anil Kapoor’s house. Sunita Kapoor noticed that he was not blinking one of his eyes. The next day, while brushing his teeth, Kher realised that water was coming out of his mouth without him noticing it. He then went to filmmaker Yash Chopra and told him about his condition. Chopra advised him to consult a doctor, who asked Kher to take rest and prescribed medication.

However, the actor decided to continue working. Speaking about the experience during his appearance on Aap Ki Adalat, he recalled, “It was also the first day of the antakshari scene (the pillow game sequence followed by songs) in Hum Aapke Hain Koun. I was returning from the doctor’s appointment and thought to myself, ‘If I go home today and take rest for two months, I will stay in fear my entire life. For years to come, I will think that leaving work is the only solution when I’m ill.’”

HELP IS A

CALL AWAY

Mental health helpline numbers

AASRA

Contact: 9820466726

Email: aasrahelpline@yahoo.com

Timings: 24×7

Languages: English, Hindi

Snehi

Contact: 9582208181

Email: snehi.india@gmail.com

Timings: 10am – 10pm, all days

Languages: English, Hindi, Marathi

Fortis MentalHealth

Contact: 8376804102

Timings: 24×7; All days

Languages: Achiku, Assamese, Bengali, Dogri, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Konkani, Malayalam, Marathi, Punjabi, Rajasthani, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu

Connecting NGO

Contact: 9922004305, 9922001122

Email: distressmailsconnecting@gmail.com

Timings: 12pm – 8pm; All days

Languages: English, Hindi, Marathi

Vandrevala Foundation

Contact: 18602662345

Email: help@vandrevalafoundation.com

Timings: 24×7

Languages: Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati and English

If you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out. These lines are staffed by trained volunteers or professionals and calls are typically confidential.