"In India, you make movies like a family trip, like a picnic," says Anupam Kher, the Bollywood star of 30 years and nearly 450 films. Speaking at the Doha Tribeca Film Festival, where the film Silver Linings Playbook - in which he plays Bradley Cooper's character's psychiatrist - had its regional premiere ahead of this weekend's UAE release, he compared working in his homeland to his increasingly frequent Hollywood adventures.
"People are perhaps a little more disciplined, more professional in Hollywood. Also, you have this fear of getting fired at any time. Your shirt button was not done up properly and it showed, then you can be fired. In India, they will say: 'Why did you do this? Tomorrow don't make the same mistake.' The next day, again, it'll be: 'I told you not to do it again.' So there is a certain sort of comradeship which sometimes I miss when I work abroad, but it's a small price to pay."
In Silver Linings Playbook, making a mistake wasn't something on the agenda, since Kher was working with David O Russell, a director renowned for being a little on the temperamental side. Thankfully, it wasn't something he had to face.
"I had known that he has a reputation of being volatile, but he's very passionate about what he does. He works in a situation where he puts actors on an emotional edge, and that's the quality you see in the film. I think he's one of the finest directors and would give my left arm to work with him again."
Alongside his wide-ranging career in India, which began with 1982's Aagman, Kher has become a known face in the West for roles in Bend it Like Beckham, Bride and Prejudice and a couple of scenes in Ang Lee's Lust, Caution, in which he said he would have appeared "even if he'd asked me to stand on the frame".
Kher is keen to expand his global repertoire, something that the critical acclaim surrounding Silver Linings Playbook could well help achieve.
"They will only take me in movies if there is a role for me, but Silver Linings Playbook's reviews and critics' adulation is certainly going to give me a certain visibility and respectability."
Kher also paid his respects to the late Yash Chopra, whose final film, Jab Tak Hai Jaan, is also screening in Doha.
"His loss is a very personal loss to me, as we were very dear friends. I was called his breakfast friend because at least three times a week I would have breakfast with him if I was in Bombay. We don't get people like him anymore."
aritman@thenational.ae
Our House, Louise Candlish,
Simon & Schuster
Pox that threatens the Middle East's native species
Camelpox
Caused by a virus related to the one that causes human smallpox, camelpox typically causes fever, swelling of lymph nodes and skin lesions in camels aged over three, but the animal usually recovers after a month or so. Younger animals may develop a more acute form that causes internal lesions and diarrhoea, and is often fatal, especially when secondary infections result. It is found across the Middle East as well as in parts of Asia, Africa, Russia and India.
Falconpox
Falconpox can cause a variety of types of lesions, which can affect, for example, the eyelids, feet and the areas above and below the beak. It is a problem among captive falcons and is one of many types of avian pox or avipox diseases that together affect dozens of bird species across the world. Among the other forms are pigeonpox, turkeypox, starlingpox and canarypox. Avipox viruses are spread by mosquitoes and direct bird-to-bird contact.
Houbarapox
Houbarapox is, like falconpox, one of the many forms of avipox diseases. It exists in various forms, with a type that causes skin lesions being least likely to result in death. Other forms cause more severe lesions, including internal lesions, and are more likely to kill the bird, often because secondary infections develop. This summer the CVRL reported an outbreak of pox in houbaras after rains in spring led to an increase in mosquito numbers.
THE APPRENTICE
Director: Ali Abbasi
Starring: Sebastian Stan, Maria Bakalova, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 3/5
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Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
Profile of Hala Insurance
Date Started: September 2018
Founders: Walid and Karim Dib
Based: Abu Dhabi
Employees: Nine
Amount raised: $1.2 million
Funders: Oman Technology Fund, AB Accelerator, 500 Startups, private backers
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
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MATCH INFO
Fixture: Thailand v UAE, Tuesday, 4pm (UAE)
TV: Abu Dhabi Sports
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Three ways to boost your credit score
Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:
1. Make sure you make your payments on time;
2. Limit the number of products you borrow on: the more loans and credit cards you have, the more it will affect your credit score;
3. Don't max out all your debts: how much you maximise those credit facilities will have an impact. If you have five credit cards and utilise 90 per cent of that credit, it will negatively affect your score.
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Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Villains
Queens of the Stone Age
Matador
Voy!%20Voy!%20Voy!
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