NEW DELHI: Veteran actor Anupam Kher told ET on Wednesday that his “perception” of former PM Manmohan Singh “has changed”. “I am honest enough to admit that,” Kher added, days after wrapping up the shooting of his new film, The Accidental Prime Minister , which is based on a book of the same name written by Singh’s media advisor (2004-2008) Sanjaya Baru.“My views on the scams that happened during the UPA era remain unchanged. 2-G, coal scams shouldn’t have happened. The movement against corruption was real. But I do feel Manmohan Singh’s personal integrity is unquestionable,” he added.Kher added over the last one year, while shooting for the film, he completely internalised Singh’s character, mainly by studying and watching all that was available on the ex-PM. “Honestly, I had reservations when the film came to me because there was this huge notion around Singh’s character that he was corrupt or gave way to corrupt people. But it took me all these months to change my view of him.”After wrapping up the film’s shooting, Kher had tweeted: “It is a wrap for one of my most cherished films ‘The Accidental Prime Minister’… Thank you Dr Manmohan Singh Ji for your journey… History will not misjudge you.” The tweet led to speculation that he has changed sides. Kher is seen close to the current establishment.“My tweet was read out of context. Just because I have changed my opinion on Manmohan Singh doesn’t mean I have changed all my views. I still remain an ardent admirer of PM Modi who I feel has done several good things for the country.”Kher said it was wrong to say that Singh didn’t speak at all, and that, in fact he spoke quite a lot. “People would joke with me saying I am working in a silent film. This notion about Singh being a mute spectator is completely wrong. He spoke a lot to Baru and to his bureaucrats. His handling of the nuclear deal and the way he behaved with his wife were interesting.”Playing Manmohan Singh's role was one of the most challenging roles in his career, Kher admitted, adding that it brought back to him the earliest lessons on acting his teachers taught him “to not let one’s own emotion get in the way of one's acting”“After acting in over 500 films, I can finally say after this one, mazza aa gaya’ (I had fun). It was not like playing Gandhi or Mussolini but a living person. The most dominating quality about Singh was his stillness. He was stubborn and would get his point across. But be it the expression of emotion, disappointment, anger, or happiness, he would remain unruffled. There are nine rasas in acting and Singh’s personality had each one of them. The challenge was presenting them without any exaggeration.”"If it were not for the blue turban that became synonymous with his post, he was an unassuming person who made several tough decisions," Kher said, adding that the first cut of the whole film was ready and he was sure the audience would find it interesting. The film is scheduled to release in December.Kher who resigned as the chairman of premier film school Film And Television Institute Of India (FTII), citing his commitments to international projects on Wednesday said that it was a “decision that he took because he felt it was the right thing to do.”In his resignation letter to I&B minister Rajyavardhan Rathore, he wrote: "It has been an honour, a privilege and a great learning experience to be the Chairman of the prestigious FTII. But because of my international assignments I won't have much time to devote at the institute. Hence, decided to send my resignation. Thank you."Kher said he had decided to quit as he will have to be stationed in the US for "nearly nine months between 2018 and 2019 and then, for a similar period for a minimum of three years more." He added that when former I&B minister Smriti Irani had approached him for the post, he had informed her that he had shooting commitments for the next six moths.The actor currently features as a part of the primary cast of ongoing US TV show New Amsterdam. "The makers have decided to extend the show by four months and the show is doing really well. That is when I though it will be unfair to the students if I continue on this post when I know I won't be here. If I was anywhere in India, I could have still managed to keep visiting the campus."Kher had communicated to Rathore about his compulsions on Tuesday itself. He however chaired the first FTII society meeting on Tuesday. "Before I resigned I have put in place at FTII a very capable general council comprising of veterans such as Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Satish Kaushik, Arvind Swamy and others. I am confident they will steer the institution in the right direction."