‘Out
of
some
540
films
in
my
career,
I
can
confidently
say
that
this
film
is
one
of
my
best
five.’
In
a
wonderful
coincidence,
Anupam
Kher,
69,
plays
his
exact
age
in
an
upcoming
slice-of-life
drama,
Vijay
69.
The
trailer
has
a
lovely,
easy-going
charm
to
it,
with
the
actor
having
a
wonderful
adventure
in
his
pursuit
of
dreams.
It
introduces
us
to
Kher’s
‘angry
old
man’
Vijay
Matthew,
a
grumpy
man,
who
squabbles
over
trivial
things
with
the
people
around
him.
When
he
is
alone,
Vijay
enters
a
query
into
the
search
bar:
‘Great
things
done
by
old
people.’
Vijay
confides
in
his
friend,
played
by
Chunky
Panday,
that
he
wants
to
be
remembered
for
having
done
something
awesome
in
his
life.
He
excitedly
tells
his
friend
about
the
idea
of
competing
in
a
triathlon
event,
which
would
set
a
new
record
in
India
for
someone
of
his
age.
Vijay’s
excitement
receives
disdain
from
his
family
and
friends
and
they
make
fun
of
his
ambition.
When
a
character
furiously
tells
Vijay
to
be
mindful
of
his
age,
he
retaliates
by
saying,
‘Toh
kya
sapne
dekhna
band
kar
du?‘
As
the
trailer
progresses,
we
see
Vijay
going
through
a
whirlwind
of
emotions
as
he
takes
on
the
difficult
task
of
completing
the
race.
The
trailer
ends
with
him
saying,
‘Sapno
ki
koi
expiry
date
nahi
hoti.’
The
first
look
promises
a
charming
and
optimistic
film
that
makes
you
laugh,
maybe
cry,
and
mostly
think
about
what
life
means
to
each
of
us.
During
the
informal
chat
with
media
present
at
the
trailer
preview,
Kher
said
the
storyline
resonated
with
him
and
he
was
“honoured”
to
play
this
character.
“It
is
important
that
we
do
not
restrict
ourselves.
I
had
realised
this
very
early
on
in
my
career.
That’s
why
I
was
able
to
take
chances
in
my
career.
For
example,
in
Saaransh,
I
played
a
65-year-old
man
at
the
age
of
28.
Today,
Saaransh
has
the
stamp
on
my
filmography.
It
is
a
very
special
film.”
Kher
said
he
draws
the
biggest
inspiration
in
his
life
from
his
mother,
Dulari
Kher,
who
likes
to
live
life
fully.
“My
mother
is
86.
She
has
a
rod
in
her
leg
but
she
likes
do
all
her
chores.
She
doesn’t
think
she’s
old.
She
always
jokes
that
she
might
age
faster
if
she
would
constantly
worry
about
her
age.
She
is
really
my
biggest
inspiration.”
Kher
also
remembered
his
father
Pushkarnath
Kher
and
how
he
was
left
feeling
depressed
after
retirement.
“My
father
was
a
clerk
in
the
forest
department.
He
retired
at
58,
even
though
he
was
physically
active.
He
got
depressed
because
there
was
nothing
to
do
after
his
retirement.
I
think
it’s
important
to
reinvent
ourselves
and
keep
pursuing
things
that
inspire
us.”
Writer-Director
Akshay
Roy,
who
accompanied
Kher
for
the
event,
said
that
Vijay
69
is
not
about
old
people
per
se
because
the
theme
it
explores
has
universal
appeal.
Roy
further
revealed
that
he
had
taken
this
script
to
many
actors
but
Kher
asked
him
something
that
no
other
actor
did.
“I
saw
Uunchai
and
really
liked
Anupam
sir
in
it.
When
I
took
this
story
to
him,
the
first
thing
he
asked
after
narration
was:
‘Why
is
this
film
important
to
you?’
Actors
are
generally
concerned
about
their
role,
screen-time
and
things
like
that,
but
sir
wanted
to
understand
my
vision
for
the
film,”
Roy
said.
The
film
was
shot
in
Pune
where
the
triathlon
event
actually
takes
place.
Kher
learnt
swimming
and
trained
to
be
a
triathlon
athlete
for
the
role
even
though
Roy
suggested
using
VFX
for
those
shots.
“I
am
scared
of
water,
I
have
hydrophobia,”
Kher
said
with
a
smile.
“I
learned
swimming
for
this
film
at
the
age
of
68,
I
took
it
up
as
a
challenge.”
“He
even
injured
his
shoulder
on
sets
during
a
shooting
schedule
at
the
Gateway
of
India,”
Roy
shared.
“Instead
of
resting,
he
asked
me
how
many
scenes
were
left
and
resumed
the
shoot.
There’s
a
shot
of
him
crying
in
a
taxi,
I
think
his
tears
were
real
in
that
scene.”
Kher
nodded
and
said,
“It
was
paining
a
lot.”
“Out
of
some
540
films
in
my
career,”
the
thespian
added,
“I
can
confidently
say
that
this
film
is
one
of
my
best
five.”
Vijay
69
streams
from
November
8
on
Netflix.