That Anupam Kher, seated in his plush office is busy would be stating the obvious. His choc-a-bloc schedule line-up of films on hand could turn even the Generation Next actors green with envy. No wonder he is multi-tasking when we meet up for an interview-speaking on the phone about a special screening of his movie A Wednesday for Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and ensuring that I tuck in a quick breakfast all within minutes.

Among the major developments recently are his acting school An Actor Prepares soon opening its doors in London the actor is understandably rather excited as he is very hands on. And in addition to the wide ranging roles that he is essaying, it is playing real-life teacher that has him all excited. “In teaching you learn. So I have benefited tremendously from my school. It keeps me alive as an actor. Soon 50 per cent of the industry will have trained actors from An Actor Prepares,” he professes.

Kher who logs in a minimum of 30 days of teaching in his school (each term has class between three months) in between his acting assignments is among the few who are an exception to the criticism that it’s those who failed at an acting a career turn acting teachers. And the popularity of his school -its most famous alumni to date being Deepika Padukone-speaks for itself. “Acting,” he insists “can be learnt only by acting” and is therefore keen that his students work across different mediums-theatre, ads, serials and films. Kher’s films ready for release include Tahaan, a Santosh Sivan film about a small boy and his donkey, A Wednesday about bomb blasts, Mr Bhatti On Chutti, a comic caper, Sankat City-Pankaj Advani’s film about Mumbai with an ensemble cast and Hawai Dada.

“For an actor, these are exciting times,” he says and then quotes Hollywood’s Al Pacino, “When he was receiving a Life Achievement Award Pacino said ‘Twenty five years back I was a newcomer, 25 years later I am getting a lifetime achievement award.’” Kher is as wonderstruck at his own 25 years as an actor which have been replete with highs and lows.

“ I can’t be good at my job if I haven’t grown as a person. I felt I was doing mediocre work, so after a decade, I cut down the 12-13 movies I was doing in a year to four or five. The power of failure, if you take it the right way, is tremendous,” says the actor.

Kher therefore, is riding the new wave working with young, new directors in movies with stories that suit the multiplex audience. It is not art cinema which he thinks could sometimes verge on boring and pointless. So there is Hawai Dada set in Indore about a grandfather who goes on his first flight with his granddaughter. “It is a film that makes you believe in goodness. Mr Bhatti On Chutti is a comedy and it has scope for a sequel along the lines of the Pink Panther series,” he says.

Khe,r who hails from Kashmir, would also like to make a movie on Kashmiri Pandits who have been evicted from their homeland. “Perhaps about a guy who wants to go back, a human story if you will,” he avers. When not busy plotting and planning movies he is busy with social work. The actor has opened a foundation to educate downtrodden children. “Ujjwal Banerjee, of Lead India fame is going to be the CEO for the foundation. Earlier I would feel defensive talking about it as it would be seen as a way of seeking publicity but the principal of Dilkhush School told me that if four people believe in me those four people are the people I should be concerned with.”

As we pointed at the very outset, multi-tasking on screen or off it, comes easily to Anupam Kher.