Anil Kapoor shared an expectedly energizing message today on the occasion of completing 35 years in films. “What a journey it has been! So many characters, so many opportunities to grow and all the endless memories. I don’t really remember the life I had before I entered the movies because I truly started living on the silver screen...Blessed to be living my dream!  #35yearsandCounting,” he wrote. The star, who looks around 35 in the first place, shared some interesting life lessons…

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It’s not about the money

The 61-year-old actor shares that he joined films because he was passionate about his craft. It was never his dream to be number one or rake in loads of moolah. He maintains that even when he sleeps at night, all he dreams of is playing different characters. “I want to make people smile and cry,” is how he sums up his goal.

Discipline is key

His youthful looks and boundless energy are testimony to his strict and constant discipline maintained over the decades. He admits that the secret to the longevity of his career, is the disciplined routine he has followed in his life and his determination to grow and improve each day.

Learning Counts

Anil believes that being an obedient student of cinema has helped him stay relevant even after 35 years in the industry. In fact, he calls himself an obedient actor, which has helped him learn and grow constantly.

Success Recipe

He affirms that it was a combination of choices that worked for him, including luck, directors and family. “At the right time, right scripts and directors came to me and I made right choices and then my family,” he enumerates the factors behind his success.

Family First

Blessed with a family that is completely clued in when it comes to all things film, Anil has no need to use outsiders as a sounding board. He reveals, “At home, we share a friendly equation, so I don’t have to go outside to understand what is working and what is not. There is a pool of talent, with a mind of their own in the family.” It also helps that he is a good listener; “I listen and observe everything.”

Handling Rejection

He learnt his first lessons in handling failure early on. His first acting job was at the age of 14 when he played the role of a junior Shashi Kapoor in Tu Payal Main Geet. However, the film failed to find a release, giving him his first big taste of disappointment. More heartache followed when he failed to gain admission in the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII). He was determined to not let disheartenment take over. “I have always been a very optimistic person. I see everything positively. I have never been disillusioned. The only time I was disillusioned and was a little down was when I failed at the Pune Institute. I cried,” he shares.

When life gives you lemons…

Down but not out after his rejection by FTII, he picked himself up and decided to join Roshan Taneja’s acting school. Anil believes all kinds of training is good and it is important to keep training oneself. He claims that even if he gets an opportunity to do something now, he will seize the chance. “It’s my dream to keep doing courses to learn something. When I started my career, I used to keep doing workshops. I had dialect coaches for my films, who would help me improve myself,” he reveals.

Be flexible

Anil made the best of the acting opportunities that came his way…and they did not come from Bollywood initially. He started off making his acting debut with the Telugu film Vamsa Vruksham. More South films followed including Mani Ratnam’s Pallavi Anu Pallavi. Stardom in Hindi films came in 1983 with Woh Saat Din. There was no looking back, as he went on to become one of the biggest stars of the Nineties with a string of hits including Mashaal, Yudh, Meri Jung, Karma, Chameli Ki Shaadi, Mr. India, Ram Lakhan and Laadla.

Making an impact

Anil is grateful for the fact that his films left an impact on the audiences. “There are certain things that still connect with the audience like ‘jhakaas’ or the popular song ‘Aye jee, oh jee…’ or the film Mr. India. It feels great that my work has left an impact on the audiences. I feel lucky and fortunate,” he says.

Give me more!

Besides commercial potboilers, he also picked unconventional films like Parinda, Eeshwar, Virasat, and Black and White in a bid to offer audiences something new and different. And he is far from done… On his list of must-do’s are learning more languages, improving his dialogue delivery and working with new directors. Like we said, this dude is just jhakaas!