Sikandar Kher on Dev Patel directed Monkey Man not getting an India release: Can't say it's not disappointing

Sikandar Kher recently received the Governor’s Award of Excellence from the state of West Bengal for his contribution to cinema. Talking about it, Sikandar Kher says, “When I got the call for this earlier, saying that the governor, his Excellency is going to be awarding me, it felt surreal. It's a complete privilege to get this recognition from his excellency, the governor of West Bengal.”

Sikandar has played a Bengali character once in his career, for the web show Tooth Pari. But he feels an innate connection with the city. “I love the city. I have shot Tooth Pari over there and I was there for almost a month. I love the people there, I have so many Bengali friends and it’s a beautiful city. You just feel a certain vibe and an energy, that not all cities have, and Kolkata, just give me that,” he says, adding that while he loves Kolkata food, he was unable to enjoy it during this visit due to his busy schedule: “But I made sure to have some puchkas while I was there.”

While there is a stigma attached to awards these days, the 43-year-old doesn’t see it that way. “I don't know about this stigma as everybody is entitled to their own opinion. I'm getting respect and recognition, and I'm happy and grateful for it,” he says.

The actor admits that while his parents are actors Kirron Kher and Anupam Kher, he has been fortunate enough never to have been compared to them. Reflecting on his 17-year long journey in showbiz, he says, “I have never heard anybody comparing me to my father or my mother. All three of us are different people, with different personalities and energies. The film line is a career choice that I have made, but the primary goal is my life and how I deal with it. I look at it as the path that was written for me and I'm going with it.”

Last year, Sikandar made his Hollywood debut with the Dev Patel-directorial Monkey Man. While he is happy with the reception the film got and the opportunities it opened up, he does lament the film not releasing in India. “I can't say it isn't disappointing because I have a lot of people who keep asking where and when they can watch It. If it was in my hand, I would have released it tomorrow. You want your people at home to see your work, especially people who are rooting for you. It's unfortunate, but I hope that at some point they get a chance to watch it,” he ends.