For Anupam Kher, Robert De Niro is ‘God of acting’

Mumbai, Sep 21 (PTI) Anupam Kher may be known for hispower-packed and versatile performances but the veteran actorconsiders Hollywood star Robert De Niro as the ‘God ofacting’. Kher recently met the "Raging Bull" actor in New York. Hehad previously worked with him in the Hollywood film "SilverLinings Playbook". "I can proudly call him (De Niro) my friend. Over theperiod of time he has a certain amount of respect for me, helikes me. I was to go to Toronto because my film ‘Head HuntersCalling’ was there (Toronto Film Festival), but I wanted to goto New York and say Hi to him. "He was kind enough to meet me when I went to New York.It was like meeting ‘The God of Acting’," Kher told PTI. Though the "Khosla Ka Ghosla" star has worked with DeNiro in the past, he never meets the actor with the intentionof collaborating with him for a Hindi film. "I don’t want to be that person. When I spend half anhour, one hour with him, that is sufficient. If it (Bollywoodfilm) has to happen, it’ll happen. But I don’t have an agendabehind meeting him and he recognises that," he said. The 2012 Academy-Award nominated romantic comedy"Silver Linings Playbook" was one among the severalinternational projects Kher featured in, like "Bend it likeBeckham" and "The Other End". The 61-year-old actor says international cinema hasgiven him "friends for life" and he cherishes that a lot. "It’s beautiful to be friends with these people. Evenbeing with Gerad Buttler, Armie Hammer, it was wonderful. Youmake friends for life. This is what international cinema hasgiven me," he said. "I don’t just be part of the film. I go beyond that. Imake friends for the rest of my life. They like me, theyadmire me, and I admire them. They make me feel like a rich aperson," he said. Meanwhile, Kher is all geared up for his upcomingBollywood film "MS Dhoni: The Untold Story", where he playsthe father of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, who stars in thetitular role. The Neeraj Pandey directed biopic is set to release onSeptember 30. PTI JUR GKJCHJMF