Anyone who can lie can act: Anupam Kher

Bollywood actor Anupam Kher, who runs his acting school Actor Prepares, doesn't believe in the "born actor" theory. He feels that some are gifted, but others can cultivate the craft of acting.

"Anyone who can lie can act... this is my theory. Lying is a form of acting. It is a method of convincing yourself. The whole thing about born actors is rubbish," he said at the acting workshop - 100 years of Indian cinema: An actor Prepares, which was organised Friday as part of ongoing 14th International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards and weekend.

The actor conducted a detailed two-hour theatre workshop and spoke about how to cultivate acting skills.

The "Saaransh" actor said that the first lesson for an actor is that "he should be ready to make a fool of himself".

Talking about over-acting, Anupam said: "Actors think if they will do normal acting, then people won't be convinced... this is why they over-act.

He added that Bollywood is known for over the top acting.

"Bollywood has been accused of loud acting. People in the West, including NRIs, feel that the Indian cinema is all about dancing and singing. This is tough as you are trying to do something so unreal, so convincingly on the screen," he said.

However, he feels the period after 2000 has been "the golden era" for the industry as well as the actors.

"The kind of cinema and movies, which are coming out now, are different and they manage to do fantastic business," said Anupam who also shared anecdotes from his childhood and memories of his first play.