Paresh Rawal | |
|---|---|
 Rawal in 2015 | |
| Chairperson of National School of Drama | |
| Assumed office September 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Ratan Thiyam |
| Member of Parliament,Lok Sabha | |
| In office 26 May 2014 – 23 May 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Harin Pathak |
| Succeeded by | Hasmukh Patel |
| Constituency | Ahmedabad East, Gujarat |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1955-05-30)30 May 1955 (age 70)[1] |
| Political party | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| Residence | 602, Dr. B. D. Marg, New Delhi |
| Alma mater | Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics |
| Occupation |
|
| Years active | 1982–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2, includingAditya Rawal |
| Honours | Padma Shri (2014) |
Paresh Rawal (born 30 May 1955) is anIndian actor[4]film producer andpolitician known for his works primarily inHindi films. Considered as one of the finest actors of Hindi cinema, he hasappeared in over 240 films and is the recipient of variousaccolades.[5] In 1994, he won theNational Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performances in the filmsWoh Chokri andSir.[6] For the latter, he received his firstFilmfare Award forBest Performance in a Negative Role. This was followed byKetan Mehta'sSardar, which saw him playing the lead role of freedom fighterVallabhbhai Patel, a role that got him national and international acclaim.[6] He was honoured withPadma Shri from theGovernment of India in 2014.
His other notable works inHindi cinema areArjun (1985),Naam (1986),Shiva (1990),Mohra (1994),Tamanna (1997),China Gate (1998),Aitraaz (2004),Table No. 21 (2013) andZilla Ghaziabad (2013).[6] He has received recognition for hisvillain roles inTelugu box office hits such asKshana Kshanam (1991),Money (1993),Money Money (1995),Govinda Govinda (1994),Rikshavodu (1995),Bavagaru Bagunnara (1998).
Rawal has gained acclaim for his comedy and few intense supporting roles in Hindi films, as some of his notable roles are inAndaz Apna Apna (1994),Chachi 420 (1997),Hera Pheri (2000),Nayak (2001),Aankhen,Awara Paagal Deewana (both 2002),Hungama (2003),Garam Masala (2005),Phir Hera Pheri,Chup Chup Ke,Malamaal Weekly (all 2006),Welcome (2007),Mere Baap Pehle Aap,Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! (both 2008),De Dana Dan (2009),Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge?,Ready (both 2010),OMG (2012),Welcome Back (2015),Tiger Zinda Hai (2017),Sanju (2018),Uri (2019),Dream Girl 2,Shastry Viruddh Shastry (both 2023) andThe Storyteller (2025) in which he portrayedSatyajit Ray's famous characterTarini Khuro.[7][8][9] His most remembered role is ofBaburao Ganpatrao Apte in the cult classicHera Pheri comedy franchise, and he also appeared in the Tamil filmSoorarai Pottru (2020) and later reprised the same role in the Hindi version of the filmSarfira (2024) starringAkshay Kumar andRadhika Madan.[10]
Rawal was born and raised inBombay (present-dayMumbai) to aGujarati family.[2][11]
In 1987, Rawal marriedSwaroop Sampat, an actress and winner of theMiss India contest in 1979.[12] Paresh and Swaroop have two sons,Aditya and Anirudh. He is an alumnus ofNarsee Monjee College of Commerce & Economics,Vile Parle,Mumbai.[13]
As per his wife's admission, Rawal isBrahmin while his wifeSwaroop Sampat isBhatia.[14]
Rawal made his debut with the 1985 filmArjun in a supporting role. He was also part of the cast of theDoordarshan TV Serial, Bante Bigadte. It was the 1986 blockbusterNaam that established him as an actor with great talent. He then appeared in over 100 films throughout the 1980s and 1990s, mostly as the mainvillain, such as inRoop ki Rani Choron Ka Raja,Kabzaa,King Uncle,Ram Lakhan,Daud,Baazi and so many more. In the 1990s, he also starred in the cult comedyAndaz Apna Apna in which he played a double role. Rawal was perceived as a character actor by both audiences and critics until the 2000 Bollywood cult classicHera Pheri, after which he starred in many Hindi mainstream films as a lead actor or main protagonist. Rawal played the dim-witted, boisterous and kind-hearted Marathi landlordBaburao Ganpatrao Apte in the filmHera Pheri, who takes in Raju (Akshay Kumar) and Shyam (Sunil Shetty) as paying guests in his house. Rawal's acting was a key reason for the major nationwide success the film received.[15] For his performance, he won theFilmfare Best Comedian Award. He reprised his role as Baburao in the sequel to the filmPhir Hera Pheri (2006), which was also successful.[6]
Another notable lead role came in 2002 when Rawal portrayed one of three blind bank robbers in the hit filmAankhen, co-starringAmitabh Bachchan,Aditya Pancholi,Akshay Kumar,Arjun Rampal andSushmita Sen. Rawal, for the remainder of the 2000s, was seen in mainly comedy oriented multi-starrers, mostly among the lead protagonists such as inAwara Paagal Deewana (2002),Hungama (2003),Hulchul (2004),Garam Masala (2005),Deewane Huye Paagal (2005),Malamaal Weekly (2006),Golmaal: Fun Unlimited (2006),Chup Chup Ke (2006),Bhagam Bhag (2007),Shankar Dada MBBS (Telugu),Bhool Bhulaiyaa,Welcome,Mere Baap Pehle Aap (2008) andDe Dana Dan (2009).[6] In 2010, Rawal acted in the movieAakrosh, based on honour killing.[16]
In 2012, Rawal played the lead role in the movieOMG – Oh My God!. Akshay Kumar was seen supporting him, and both won rave reviews for their roles.He has also had a very successful acting career in Gujarati plays, the latest one beingDear Father.For television he has produced several Hindi soaps includingZee TV'sTeen Bahuraaniyaan,Sahara One'sMain Aisi Kyunn Hoon and Colors'Laagi Tujhse Lagan.[17]
His latest notable release isRajkumar Hirani'sSanju withRanbir Kapoor. He plays actorSunil Dutt's role in the movie.He is also reprising his role as Baburao Ganpatrao Apte inHera Pheri 3 which was going to be released in 2024,[18] but is 'on hold' as of May 2023.[19]
On 10 September 2020 he was appointed the chief of theNational School of Drama, by thePresident of India.[20]
In 2021, Rawal appeared in sports dramaToofaan, a film directed byRakeysh Omprakash Mehra, alongsideFarhan Akhtar, who is playing a national level boxer. The film was streamed worldwide on 16 July 2021 onAmazon Prime Video.[21]
His other upcoming films are Bhooth Bangla,Welcome To The Jungle andHera Pheri 3.[22][23][24]
He won as theBharatiya Janata Party's Member of Parliament (MP) fromAhmedabad East constituency in the2014 Indian general election. In 2014, he was awardedPadma Shri.[25][26]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BJP | Paresh Rawal | 633,582 | 64.29 | +10.92 | |
| INC | Himmatsingh Patel | 306,949 | 31.15 | −7.82 | |
| AAP | Dinesh Vaghela | 11,349 | 1.15 | N/A | |
| BSP | Rohit Rajubhai Virjubhai | 6,023 | 0.61 | −0.60 | |
| NOTA | None of the Above | 14,358 | 1.46 | N/A | |
| Majority | 326,633 | 33.14 | +18.74 | ||
| Turnout | 985,525 | 61.52 | +19.20 | ||
| BJPhold | Swing | +10.92 | |||
I am a Bhatia and he is a Brahmin, but that hardly mattered.
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| National | |
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