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Toronto
Actor Anupam Kher celebrated a milestone for his Hindi play ‘Jaane Pehchaane Anjaane’ in Toronto, where the production marked its 25th show during its ongoing North American tour.
Speaking after the performance, Kher described the play’s journey as a “great success” and said Toronto had continued to give him “amazing love.”
“This is the 10th show of my series and we have started our 25th show which we are doing for the people of Toronto. It’s a milestone of our play, Jane Pehchane Anjane. Gajendra Iyer has written and directed it,” Kher said.
“It has been a great success. We have done it in Toronto and many other cities. We are receiving a lot of love,” he added.
Reflecting on performing in Toronto, Kher said the city had been particularly significant in his career, recalling his appearances at TIFF and his earlier play ‘Kuch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai.’
“And Toronto has always given me amazing love, whether it was TIFF, I have done four films in TIFF, or my first play, Kuch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai, when I was doing it, I got a lot of success in that too,” he said.
Kher also spoke about the distinct experience of performing live on stage compared with working in film.
“The advantage of doing a play is that on screen, I am on the other side of the screen, and I don’t recognise anything. But in a play, there is one breath, there is one heartbeat, and there is a good way to meet yourself,” he said.
The actor said the tour would continue with performances in Detroit and Raleigh before moving on to New Jersey, New York and other cities, with Boston scheduled as the final stop.
“Tomorrow we are in Detroit, then in Raleigh. This is going on. Our last show is in Boston. Before that, New Jersey, New York,” Kher said.
Concluding his remarks after the Toronto performance, Kher said, “I am very happy today.”
Starring Kher and Swaroop Sampat, ‘Jaane Pehchaane Anjaane’ is a contemporary Hindi stage production that brings South Asian theatre to audiences across North America.
The tour began on September 18 and is scheduled to continue through October 11, with performances across cities including San Jose, Columbus, Atlanta, Toronto, Detroit, Raleigh, New York, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Edison, Chicago and Boston.