When Govind Nihalani left Anil Kapoor high and dry

Veteran actor Anil Kapoor experienced a high when Govind Nihalani called him up a year back. Anil thought the award-winning director would give him a role in his film but was left dry after Nihalani asked him to be a brand ambassador for an NGO working for children's rights.

"I was really excited when Govindji called me and said that he wanted to meet me. He is a great director and I thought he was approaching me to give me a role in his film," Anil said during a news conference conducted by Plan India, a rights group working against child labour.

"Plus he said that he would come and see me. I was so thrilled that a person of such a stature was even coming to meet me. I had worn a very sober shirt and had asked my wife whether I was looking fine for Govindji to select me but he came and asked me whether I wanted to be a part of an NGO."

But the actor said that he immediately agreed to be part of the project because he felt passionate about its objective.

Anil, 57, who has never endorsed a brand or an organisation before, said his children think he is a "fool" to not take advantage of the brand value he has built over around three decades.

"From 1983, you can say that I became a saleable brand but I have never endorsed for any company or organisation," he said. "I have never wanted to make money. My children think I'm a fool. They say 'are you mad, when all the actors are endorsing so many brands, you are not doing any? Do you know how rich we could have been?'"

"But I gave them the examples of Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Dev Anand and Sunil Dutt, who never endorsed for anybody."

Anil, who is brand ambassador as well as patron for Plan India, said he could relate to this project of doing something for the children after having already played a similar role in the hit film "Mr. India".

"What you are as a person comes out on screen. I have always been very comfortable with children and when I met these children, the experience moved me. I did not want to be a photo op in these projects. I joined this because I wanted to do something and I will do something."

Indo-Asian News Service