How Anupam Kher became famous in the Gulf...

Bollywood stars especially the Khans are known to command a huge fan base in the Arab world. Most of their world tours in Gulf prove to be instant money spinners, courtesy the sizeable NRI population that resides in the desert countries of the Gulf. So while superstars like SRK and Salman are hot favourites, an unlikely actor has suddenly shot up in popularity stakes in the Emirates. And it happens to be none other than the extremely versatile Anupam Kher. What's surprising is that it's a Malayalam movie and not a Hindi one that made Anupam Kher uber popular in the region. In 2011, Anupam had teamed up with Jaya Prada and southern superstar Mohanlal to star in the super successful movie called Pranayam. The film directed by Blessy showcased a love triangle between Anupam, Jaya and Mohanlal, all well past their prime. Today, Anupam rates Pranayam as one of the most influential movies of his glorious career. Revealing why the movie is special, Anupam says, “Pranayam remains special because the love story between Jaya, Mohanlal and myself was quite unusual and not your regular run-of-the-mill kinds. I have to thank Blessy for giving me the role of Achutha Menon." The movie was well appreciated by the South Indian community of Gulf and Anupam all of sudden developed a new fan following in the region. Says Anupam, “No one really knew me in Dubai and other Gulf countries. But Pranayam has changed that all. Today whenever I visit Gulf, people walk up to me and still compliment me for the role I played in Pranayam." The veteran actor who has a release lined up every week starting from March to May end will next be seen in Total Siyapaa<.em> which releases in the first week of March.