Anupam Kher

1_CinemaEducation

Personality.Theatre & Film Actor

Anupam Kher

b. 07 Mar 1955, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India

Introduction

Filmography

Integrated Timeline

01_Birth and Family (1955-1973)

02_Leaning to act (1974-1975)

03_Teaching and Move to Mumbai (1978-1981)

04_Debut and Breakout (1982-1984)

05_Screen Baddie (1985-1988)

06_Subhash Ghai and Yash Chopra (1989-1993)

07_Films Got Bigger (1994-1999)

08_Mentoring Actors and Directorial Debut (2000-2004)

09_An Actor Prepares (2005-2008)

10_Hollywood Work and International Acclaim (2010-2012)

11_From Strength to Strength (2016-2026)

Research Centre

738

Library

17

Archive

721

Related Links

1_CinemaEducation

Personality.Theatre & Film Actor

Anupam Kher

b. 07 Mar 1955, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India

Introduction
Filmography
Integrated Timeline
Research Centre
Anupam Kher
Anupam Kher (born on March 7, 1955) is one of India's most distinguished actors, a director, producer, and philanthropist whose career has spanned over four decades. An influential figure in global entertainment, Kher has starred in over 540 films, predominantly in Hindi cinema, earning him immense critical and commercial success. His contribution to the arts has been recognized with two National Film Awards and eight Filmfare Awards. Further, the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri in 2004 and the Padma Bhushan in 2016. He is married to actress and politician, Kirron Kher. Hailing from a Kashmiri Pandit family, Kher's journey began in Shimla, he attended D.A.V. School and briefly studied economics before abandoning it for his true passion: theatre. After attending Panjab University, he graduated in 1978 from the prestigious National School of Drama (NSD) in New Delhi. Kher's cinematic breakthrough came in 1984 with the critically acclaimed film, Saaransh, where, at the age of 29, he masterfully portrayed an elderly father, earning him the Filmfare Award for Best Actor. The late 1980s and early 1990s cemented his position as a versatile powerhouse with box-office hits like Ram Lakhan (1989), Tridev (1989), Chandni (1989), and Chaalbaaz (1989). His unique skill in effortlessly oscillating between negative roles in Karma (1986) and Tezaab (1988), comic timing (Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, 1995), and high drama (Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, 1998) showcases his immense range. He also received the National Film Award for Special Jury for the nuanced role in Daddy (1989). Kher's international career flourished after his appearance in Gurinder Chadha's hit Bend It Like Beckham (2002). He went on to star in major foreign productions, including Bride and Prejudice (2004), Ang Lee's Lust, Caution (2007), Silver Linings Playbook (2012), and Hotel Mumbai (2019). His performance in the 2018 film The Boy with the Top Knot earned him a BAFTA nomination, highlighting his global appeal. Beyond acting, Kher has ventured into directing (Om Jai Jagadish), producing (Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara), and writing. He is also a respected author, having penned bestsellers such as The Best Thing About You is You! (2011) and Lessons Life Taught Me Unknowingly (2019).
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Anupam Kher (born on March 7, 1955) is one of India's most distinguished actors, a director, producer, and philanthropist whose career has spanned over four decades. An influential figure in global entertainment, Kher has starred in over 540 films, predominantly in Hindi cinema, earning him immense critical and commercial success. His contribution to the arts has been recognized with two National Film Awards and eight Filmfare Awards. Further, the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri in 2004 and the Padma Bhushan in 2016. He is married to actress and politician, Kirron Kher. Hailing from a Kashmiri Pandit family, Kher's journey began in Shimla, he attended D.A.V. School and briefly studied economics before abandoning it for his true passion: theatre. After attending Panjab University, he graduated in 1978 from the prestigious National School of Drama (NSD) in New Delhi. Kher's cinematic breakthrough came in 1984 with the critically acclaimed film, Saaransh, where, at the age of 29, he masterfully portrayed an elderly father, earning him the Filmfare Award for Best Actor. The late 1980s and early 1990s cemented his position as a versatile powerhouse with box-office hits like Ram Lakhan (1989), Tridev (1989), Chandni (1989), and Chaalbaaz (1989). His unique skill in effortlessly oscillating between negative roles in Karma (1986) and Tezaab (1988), comic timing (Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, 1995), and high drama (Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, 1998) showcases his immense range. He also received the National Film Award for Special Jury for the nuanced role in Daddy (1989). Kher's international career flourished after his appearance in Gurinder Chadha's hit Bend It Like Beckham (2002). He went on to star in major foreign productions, including Bride and Prejudice (2004), Ang Lee's Lust, Caution (2007), Silver Linings Playbook (2012), and Hotel Mumbai (2019). His performance in the 2018 film The Boy with the Top Knot earned him a BAFTA nomination, highlighting his global appeal. Beyond acting, Kher has ventured into directing (Om Jai Jagadish), producing (Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara), and writing. He is also a respected author, having penned bestsellers such as The Best Thing About You is You! (2011) and Lessons Life Taught Me Unknowingly (2019).
Anupam Kher
Anupam Kher (born on March 7, 1955) is one of India's most distinguished actors, a director, producer, and philanthropist whose career has spanned over four decades. An influential figure in global entertainment, Kher has starred in over 540 films, predominantly in Hindi cinema, earning him immense critical and commercial success. His contribution to the arts has been recognized with two National Film Awards and eight Filmfare Awards. Further, the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri in 2004 and the Padma Bhushan in 2016. He is married to actress and politician, Kirron Kher. Hailing from a Kashmiri Pandit family, Kher's journey began in Shimla, he attended D.A.V. School and briefly studied economics before abandoning it for his true passion: theatre. After attending Panjab University, he graduated in 1978 from the prestigious National School of Drama (NSD) in New Delhi. Kher's cinematic breakthrough came in 1984 with the critically acclaimed film, Saaransh, where, at the age of 29, he masterfully portrayed an elderly father, earning him the Filmfare Award for Best Actor. The late 1980s and early 1990s cemented his position as a versatile powerhouse with box-office hits like Ram Lakhan (1989), Tridev (1989), Chandni (1989), and Chaalbaaz (1989). His unique skill in effortlessly oscillating between negative roles in Karma (1986) and Tezaab (1988), comic timing (Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, 1995), and high drama (Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, 1998) showcases his immense range. He also received the National Film Award for Special Jury for the nuanced role in Daddy (1989). Kher's international career flourished after his appearance in Gurinder Chadha's hit Bend It Like Beckham (2002). He went on to star in major foreign productions, including Bride and Prejudice (2004), Ang Lee's Lust, Caution (2007), Silver Linings Playbook (2012), and Hotel Mumbai (2019). His performance in the 2018 film The Boy with the Top Knot earned him a BAFTA nomination, highlighting his global appeal. Beyond acting, Kher has ventured into directing (Om Jai Jagadish), producing (Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara), and writing. He is also a respected author, having penned bestsellers such as The Best Thing About You is You! (2011) and Lessons Life Taught Me Unknowingly (2019).

Introduction

Date of Birth

07 Mar 1955

Age

71

Nationality

Indian

Place of Birth

Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India

Year Marriage Registered

1978 | 1985

Date of Birth

07 Mar 1955

Age

71

Nationality

Indian

Place of Birth

Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India

Year Marriage Registered

1978 | 1985

Filmography

Print
filter

Integrated Timeline

Time Periods

1955-1973
1974-1975
1978-1981
1982-1984
1985-1988
1989-1993
1994-1999
2000-2004
2005-2008
2010-2012
2016-2026
Unknown Photographer DAV School Srinagar Contemporary Photograph Photography 00840317
Unknown (Photographer). D.A.V. School, Srinagar. | Contemporary Photograph | Photography | 00840317

1955-1973

Born on March 7, 1955, in Shimla, to Pandit Pushkar Nath Kher and Dulari Kher, Anupam Kher was originally surnamed Khar, until his uncle P.L. Kher officially changed it to “Kher.” He went to Lady Irwin Primary School and then D.A.V. (Dayanand Anglo Vedic) School, Srinagar. In a shaping event, his father celebrated his failure in the 10th Standard (Matriculation) exams by taking him to a restaurant, teaching him that “failure is an event, not a person.”

Unknown Photographer Anupam Kher and Anang Desai in an adaptation of Dharamveer Bhartis play Andhayug during their se...
Unknown (Photographer). Anupam Kher and Anang Desai in an adaptation of Dharamveer Bharti's play Andhayug during their second year in National School of Drama, Delhi. | Photographic Still | Photography | 00840318

1974-1975

He participated in the Himachal Pradesh Inter-College Drama Competition while studying Economics at the Government College, Shimla, and won the Best Actor award. He applied to the National School of Drama (NSD) but failed to secure admission. He then applied to the newly opened Department of Indian Theatre at Panjab University, Chandigarh, and was selected for a diploma course in acting. He studied under Balwant Gargi and gained early acclaim for his role in Bertolt Brecht's The Exception and the Rule. He stood first and won the Mohan Rakesh Gold Medal. He tried again for NSD, and this time he got through. He was tutored at NSD under the illustrious Ebrahim Alkazi. He acted in plays like Hamlet, Andha Yug, and Tughlaq. As part of the NSD course, he had exposure to the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, for six months.

Unknown Photographer Bharatendu Academy of Dramatic Arts Lucknow Contemporary Photograph Photography 00840319
Unknown (Photographer). Bharatendu Academy of Dramatic Arts, Lucknow. | Contemporary Photograph | Photography | 00840319

1978-1981

Anupam Kher graduated from NSD and took a job as a lecturer at the Bharatendu Academy of Dramatic Arts in Lucknow. He responded to an advertisement recruiting teachers for an acting school in Bombay (now Mumbai) and was selected. He reached Bombay on 3 June 1981. The ad turned out to be fake, and he faced extreme hardship for a while, including homelessness and sleeping on railway platforms.

Ali Muzaffar Director Aagaman 1984 Song-Synopsis Booklet CinemaEducation 00862657
Ali, Muzaffar (Director), Aagaman, 1984 | Song-Synopsis Booklet | CinemaEducation | 00862657

1982-1984

Anupam made his debut in Muzaffar Ali's Aagaman. He also acted in a small role in Utsav (released later). He auditioned for the role of Jawaharlal Nehru in Richard Attenborough's Gandhi. He was rejected for the role but later dubbed one dialogue in the Hindi version for ₹1,000. He was cast by Mahesh Bhatt in his breakout role as B.V. Pradhan, a 65-year-old retired teacher, while Kher was only 28. After being briefly replaced by Sanjeev Kumar, he aggressively confronted Mahesh Bhatt, who reinstated him for his raw passion. He won the Filmfare Best Actor Award.

Ghai Subhash Producer Karma 1986 Full Sheet Poster CinemaEducation 00767364
Ghai, Subhash (Producer), Karma, 1986 | Full Sheet Poster | CinemaEducation | 00767364

1985-1988

He established himself as a top villain, most notably as Dr. Dang in Subhash Ghai's Karma (1986). The role of a fictional dictator, akin to the Bond villains from the 1960s, was a precursor to Mogambo from Mr. India, which came a year later. A specific scene where Dilip Kumar's character slaps him, leading the unhinged villain to wreak havoc and cause massacres, was especially popular. Around the same time came Rahul Rawail's Arjun (1985), where Anupam plays an evil political leader who hides behind a calm exterior. What made these roles seem all the more menacing is the fact that, unlike most villains those days, Anupam had a refined, genteel appearance that accentuated the evil in these characters. In this phase, he became one of the busiest actors in Bollywood, often shooting multiple films a day. He won his first Filmfare for Yash Chopra's Vijay.

Bhatt Mahesh Director Daddy 1989 Song-Synopsis Booklet CinemaEducation 00863845
Bhatt, Mahesh (Director), Daddy, 1989 | Song-Synopsis Booklet | CinemaEducation | 00863845

1989-1993

He played an alcoholic, estranged father in Mahesh Bhatt's Daddy. He won a National Film Award (Special Jury) for this performance. Kher's sensitive performance as the guilt-ridden father who has been fighting a losing battle against alcoholism fetched him both audience affection and critical praise. Subhash Ghai's Raam Lakhan featured Anupam in one of his early popular comedic roles. His turn as Madhuri Dixit's father, a greedy shopkeeper who keeps getting fooled by his daughter's lover (played by Anil Kapoor), is hilarious. He also featured in Chaalbaaz, where he successfully blended hilarity with moral turpitude, playing a villain who also delivered laughs. His versatility in comedy began to be recognized. Kher won the Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Comic Role for Ram Lakhan. Ghai and Kher continued to work in several films together. He acted in Yash Chopra's Lamhe, cementing a long personal and professional association with the director. Many years earlier, as a newcomer, Anupam sought a role in Chopra's film Mashaal and was turned down, but the director promised him an appropriate role in the future. Kher won the Filmfare Award for Best Comedian for Lamhe. In 1992, he starred in Chopra's Darr alongside Shah Rukh Khan, Sunny Deol, and Juhi Chawla, a role that won him his seventh Filmfare Award.

Chopra Yash Producer Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge 1995 Lobby Card CinemaEducation 00783953
Chopra, Yash (Producer), Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, 1995 | Lobby Card | CinemaEducation | 00783953

1994-1999

Anupam was featured in Suraj Barjatiya's Hum Aapke Hain Koun, one of India's biggest box office draws till that point in time. During the shoot, he was diagnosed with facial paralysis (Bell's palsy), but continued to shoot despite the affliction. He played Shah Rukh Khan's liberal father in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), a role that redefined father figures in Hindi cinema, particularly through an improvised scene where Dharamvir joyously celebrates his son's academic failure rather than scolding him (akin to Kher's father in his own life). Kher incorporated personal touches into the role, such as referencing his real-life uncle while introducing Raj to his ancestors in a quirky picture gallery scene, and he won the Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Comic Role for the act. In 1998, he famously featured in Karan Johar's debut Kuch Kuch Hota Hai as Principal Malhotra, in a comedic bit with Ms. Briganza (played by Archana Puran Singh) where his character says, “You are very queet” (cute). This specific dialogue was drawn from Kher's real life; during his college days in Shimla, a girl he had a crush on complimented his acting as “very cute,” which he mispronounced at the time as “queet,” a memory he incorporated into the film to great comic effect. In 1999, Anupam Kher ventured into production with Rituparno Ghosh's Bengali film Bariwali, which won two National Film Awards (Best Actress for Kirron Kher and Best Supporting Actress for Sudipta Chakraborty).

Chopra Yash Producer Mohabbatein 2000 Lobby Card CinemaEducation 00786705
Chopra, Yash (Producer), Mohabbatein, 2000 | Lobby Card | CinemaEducation | 00786705

2000-2004

Anupam featured in Mohabbatein (2000) and Hrithik Roshan's debut Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai (2000). He groomed and mentored Abhishek Bachchan as an actor, in addition to starring alongside him in Refugee (2001). In 2002, Anupam debuted as a director with Om Jai Jagadish (2002), a family drama featuring Anil Kapoor, Abhishek Bachchan, Fardeen Khan, and Urmila Matondkar. He made his international breakthrough in Bend It Like Beckham (2002). He served as Chairman of the National School of Drama (2001–2004). He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2004.

Screwvala Ronnie Producer Khosla Ka Ghosla 2006 Full Sheet Poster CinemaEducation 00770167
Screwvala, Ronnie (Producer), Khosla Ka Ghosla, 2006 | Full Sheet Poster | CinemaEducation | 00770167

2005-2008

Anupam founded the acting school Actor Prepares (2005). He premiered his autobiographical one-man play Kucch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai (2005). He produced and starred in Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara (2005), playing a professor with dementia. He received a Special Mention at the National Film Awards for the film. He played Kamal Kishore Khosla in a small-budget film, Dibakar Banerjee's Khosla Ka Ghosla (2006), which became a cult classic and won the National Award for Best Feature Film. He appeared in Ang Lee's Golden Lion-winning film Lust, Caution (2007). He played Police Commissioner Prakash Rathod in Neeraj Pandey's critical and commercial hit A Wednesday (2008).

Takayanagi Masanobu Cinematographer Silver Linings Playbook 2012 Photographic Still CinemaEducation 00840313
Takayanagi, Masanobu (Cinematographer), Silver Linings Playbook, 2012 | Photographic Still | CinemaEducation | 00840313

2010-2012

Anupam Kher played Dr. Cliff Patel in the Oscar-winning film Silver Linings Playbook, working alongside Robert De Niro. The film received 8 Oscar nominations.

Burgoyne Brian Cinematographer The Big Sick 2017 Photographic Still CinemaEducation 00840314
Burgoyne, Brian (Cinematographer), The Big Sick, 2017 | Photographic Still | CinemaEducation | 00840314

2016-2026

Anupam Kher was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian award, by the Government of India in 2016 for his significant contributions to Indian cinema and the arts. His 500th film The Big Sick was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. In 2018, he began a lead role as Dr. Vijay Kapoor in the NBC medical drama New Amsterdam. He was nominated for a BAFTA TV Award for Best Supporting Actor for The Boy with the Topknot. In 2019, he portrayed former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh in The Accidental Prime Minister. He released his autobiography Lessons Life Taught Me, Unknowingly. In 2025, his second directorial venture Tanvi The Great was released and was shortlisted in 2026 among the top 200 films worldwide for Best Picture consideration.

1973

1975

1981

1984

1988

1993

1999

2004

2008

2012

2026

Research Centre

All

738

Library

17

Archive

721

Highlights

7

Ali, Anwar (Producer), Kaash, 1987 | Song-Synopsis Booklet

Ali, Anwar (Producer), Kaash, 1987 | Song-Synopsis Booklet

Bhatt, Mahesh (Director), Daddy, 1989 | Song-Synopsis Booklet

Bhatt, Mahesh (Director), Daddy, 1989 | Song-Synopsis Booklet

Anand, Tinnu (Director), Main Azaad Hoon, 1989 | Song-Synopsis Booklet

Anand, Tinnu (Director), Main Azaad Hoon, 1989 | Song-Synopsis Booklet

Sharma, Romesh (Producer), Hum, 1991 | Song-Synopsis Booklet

Sharma, Romesh (Producer), Hum, 1991 | Song-Synopsis Booklet

Chopra, Vidhu Vinod (Producer), 1942 A Love Story 01, 1994 | Song-Synopsis Booklet

Chopra, Vidhu Vinod (Producer), 1942 A Love Story 01, 1994 | Song-Synopsis Booklet

Khanna, Amit (Producer), Papa Kahte Hain, 1995 | Song-Synopsis Booklet

Khanna, Amit (Producer), Papa Kahte Hain, 1995 | Song-Synopsis Booklet

Kher, Anupam (Author). The Best Thing about You is You, 2012 | Authored Book

Kher, Anupam (Author). The Best Thing about You is You, 2012 | Authored Book

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