Anupam Kher | |
|---|---|
 Kher in 2025 | |
| Born | (1955-03-07)7 March 1955 (age 70) |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupations |
|
| Works | Full list |
| Office | Chairman of theFilm and Television Institute of India |
| Term | 11 October 2017 – 31 October 2018 |
| Predecessor | Gajendra Chauhan |
| Successor | B. P. Singh |
| Spouses | |
| Children | Sikandar Kher (stepson) |
| Relatives | Raju Kher (brother) |
| Awards | Full list |
| Website | www |
Anupam Kher (born 7 March 1955) is anIndian actor, director and producer who works primarily inHindi cinema. In a career spanning over four decades, he has acted in more than540 films. A veteran of Indian cinema,[1] Kher is recipient of twoNational Film Awards and eightFilmfare Awards for his acting performances.[2]Government of India awarded him thePadma Shri in 2004[3] and thePadma Bhushan in 2016[4] for his contribution to Indian cinema and arts.
Kher made his acting debut withMahesh Bhatt-directed drama filmSaaransh[5] (1984), which marked Kher's breakthrough role, earning him theFilmfare Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of an elderly father. Since then he starred in several other supporting roles. He was appreciated in negative roles in films such asKarma (1986),Tezaab (1988) andChaalBaaz (1989). ForVijay (1988), he won theFilmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for his performance. In 1989,Ram Lakhan garnered him wider recognition for his comic performances and won himFilmfare Award for Best Performance in a Comic Role, and forDaddy, he won a National Film Award – Special Jury Award and Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance. In later years, Kher was nominated forFilmfare Best Supporting Actor Award forDil (1990),Saudagar (1991),Lamhe (1991),Hum Aapke Hain Koun (1994),Chaahat (1996),Special 26 (2013) andUunchai (2022).[6] He was nominated in the category ofFilmfare Award for Best Comedian for films, such asDil Hai Ki Manta Nahin (1991),Shola Aur Shabnam (1992),Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998),Dulhan Hum Le Jayenge (2000), and won forKhel (1992),Darr (1993) andDilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995).[7]
Kher's other acclaimed roles includeKhosla Ka Ghosla (2006),Buddha Mar Gaya (2006),A Wednesday! (2008),Baby (2015),M. S. Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016),The Kashmir Files (2022) andMetro... In Dino (2025).[8][9] Besides working in Hindi films, he has also appeared in international films such as theGolden Globe-nominatedBend It Like Beckham (2002),Ang Lee'sGolden Lion-winningNC-17 ratedLust, Caution (2007),David O. Russell'sOscar-winningSilver Linings Playbook (2012) and Anthony Maras'Hotel Mumbai (2019). He received aBAFTA nomination for his supporting role in the British television filmThe Boy with the Topknot (2018).[10] Anupam Kher will portrayRabindranath Tagore in his 538th film.[11]
He has previously served as the Chairman of theCentral Board of Film Certification and theNational School of Drama in India.[12]Kher was appointed Chairman of theFilm and Television Institute of India (FTII) in October 2017.[13] His appointment wascontroversial, given his support for theBharatiya Janata Party.[14][15][16][17] A year later, he resigned as the chairman of the FTII, citing his work commitments for the American TV showNew Amsterdam.[18]
Anupam Kher was born on 7 March 1955 inSimla, in thePatiala and East Punjab States Union of India (now inHimachal Pradesh) into aKashmiri Pandit family.[19][20] His father, Pushkar Nath Kher was a clerk in the forest department ofHimachal Pradesh and his mother, Dulari Kher was a housewife.[21][22] He was educated at D. A. V. School in Shimla.[23] He studied economics atGovernment College, Sanjauli at theHimachal Pradesh University inShimla, but dropped out to study Indian theatre atPanjab University, Chandigarh.[24]
In 1978, Kher graduated from theNational School of Drama (NSD) inNew Delhi.[12] Some of his early roles were in plays performed at the Himachal Pradesh University.[25] He taught drama inRaj Bisaria'sBharatendu Natya Akademi inLucknow for a small part in his directorial debut movieSheeshay ka Ghar.[14][26] In his struggling days as an actor in Bombay (present-day Mumbai), he slept on a railway platform for a month.[27]
Anupam Kher made his acting debut in 1984 withMahesh Bhatt'sdrama filmSaaransh.[28] It didn't perform well commercially, but was a huge critical success and was chosen asIndia's official entry for theAcademy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.[29][30] Kher received widespread acclaim for his portraying a 60-year-old man trying to come to terms with the loss of his only son and won his first and onlyFilmfare Award for Best Actor.[31] The following year, however, none of his films performed well critically or commercially withRahul Rawail'saction dramaArjun co-starringSunny Deol andDimple Kapadia being the exception.[32] This changed in 1986 when he co-starred alongsideAmitabh Bachchan inK. Bhagyaraj'scrime dramaAakhree Raasta and played the ruthless villain "Dr. Michael Dang" inSubhash Ghai's ensemble actionerKarma, which hadDilip Kumar,Jackie Shroff,Anil Kapoor,Naseeruddin Shah andSridevi in the lead.[33][34] While the former was a hit,Karma went on to become a blockbuster and Kher was noticed by the audience.[35][36] The same year, he played supporting role in another major commercial success, which was -Insaaf Ki Awaaz.[35]
In 1987, he appeared alongsideRekha andRaj Babbar inT. Rama Rao's family dramaSansar, which was a commercially successful venture.[37] In 1988, he played negative roles in films, such asHatya,Zakhmi Aurat andTezaab.[38][39] Out of these releases,Hatya andZakhmi Aurat were semi-hits, while the lattermost went many steps ahead and emerged a blockbuster as well as thehighest earning film of that year.[40] Kher's other notable release of 1988,Vijay failed at the box office, but won him his first and onlyFilmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor.[41]
After many years of lukewarm critical and commercial success, Kher became a household name in 1989 when he starred in Subhash Ghai'smasala filmRam Lakhan,Rajiv Rai's action dramaTridev,Yash Chopra'sromantic musicalChandni,Vidhu Vinod Chopra's crime dramaParinda andPankaj Parashar'scomedy dramaChaalBaaz. All the films proved to be critically and commercially successful, especiallyRam Lakhan,Tridev andChandni, all three of which backed up with chartbuster music, emerged blockbusters at the box office and were among the top five highest-grossing films of the year.[42][43] Apart from commercial projects, Kher also collaborated with Mahesh Bhatt for the art-housetelevision filmDaddy, which like their previous collaborationSaaransh met with immense acclaim and won Kher his firstNational Film Award – Special Jury Award as well asFilmfare Award for Best Actor (Critics).[44][45] The following year, he starred inIndra Kumar's blockbusterromantic comedyDil, which hadAamir Khan andMadhuri Dixit in the lead roles.[46] For his performance of a greedy father inDil, Kher received his third nomination in theFilmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor category.[31] In 1991, he appeared in highly successful films, includingSaudagar,Saathi,Hum andDil Hai Ke Manta Nahin.[47] He also collaborated with Yash Chopra for the romantic dramaLamhe, which was a commercial failure, but received positive reception from critics and is now considered a cult classic.[48][49] Kher's performances inSaudagar andLamhe earned him nomination in theFilmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor category.[50]
His other box office hits of this period, includeBeta (1992),Shola Aur Shabnam (1992),Lootere (1993),Waqt Hamara Hai (1993),Khalnayak (1993),Hum Hain Kamaal Ke (1993),Gumrah (1993) andDarr (1993).[51] He then appeared inSooraj Barjatya'sHum Aapke Hain Koun..! (1994) andAditya Chopra'sDilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995).[52] Both the films did extremely well at the box office and emergedAll Time Blockbusters as well as the highest and second highest-grossing film of all time, respectively.[53][54] For his performance in the former, Kher received another nomination in theFilmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor category.[55] In the late-1990s, he continued to play supporting roles in critically and commercially successful ventures, such asJudwaa (1997),Ziddi (1997),Deewana Mastana (1997),Jab Pyaar Kisise Hota Hai (1998),Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998),Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (1998),China Gate (1998),Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rehte Hain (1999) andHaseena Maan Jaayegi (1999).[51]
Kher began the new decade playing antagonist inRakesh Roshan'sromantic blockbusterKaho Naa... Pyaar Hai which madeHrithik Roshan a star.[56][57] He followed it with four more major successes the same year withDulhan Hum Le Jayenge,Kya Kehna,Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai andMohabbatein.[51] In 2001, he had another hit inJodi No.1 and received praise for his performance inRehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein, which did not do well commercially, but went on to attain cult status in later years.[51][58]
In 2002, Kher starred in his firstHollywood project which wasGurinder Chadha'ssports comedy dramaBend It Like Beckham.[59] The film proved to be a critical and commercial success grossing around $76.6 million worldwide.[60][61]After gap of an year, he reunited with Chadha forBride and Prejudice, which too was a successful venture.[62] His final collaboration with Chadha took place in 2005 withThe Mistress of Spices, which unlike their previous ventures was panned by critics and didn't do well at the box office.[63][64]
During this period, Kher continued to star in notable Hindi films, such asVeer-Zaara (2004),Kyaa Kool Hain Hum (2005) and received immense acclaim and his secondNational Film Award – Special Jury Award for the 2005 filmMaine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara (which he also produced).[51][65]In the latter-half of the 2000s, he appeared in critically and commercially successfulBollywood ventures, includingRang De Basanti (2006),Chup Chup Ke (2006),Vivah (2006),Khosla Ka Ghosla (2006),Apna Sapna Money Money (2006),A Wednesday! (2008),Wake Up Sid (2009) and made hisChinese film debut withLust, Caution (2007), which too was a box office hit grossing around $67.1 million.[66]
In the following decade, Kher did films of varied genres and found box office success inDabangg (2010),Yamla Pagla Deewana (2011),Kya Super Kool Hain Hum (2012),Chashme Baddoor (2013),Singham Returns (2014),Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (2015),M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016),Toilet: Ek Prem Katha (2017) andJudwaa 2 (2017).[51] He also received praise for his performances inBadmaash Company (2010),Chaar Din Ki Chandni (2012),Special 26 (2013),Daawat-e-Ishq (2014),Baby (2015),Buddha in a Traffic Jam (2016),Indu Sarkar (2017) andLove Sonia (2018). ForSpecial 26, he received a nomination in the Best Supporting Actor category at59th Filmfare Awards.[67] During this period, he also made hisMalayalam film debut withBlessy'sPranayam (2011), played supporting roles in blockbuster Hollywood ventures, includingSilver Linings Playbook (2012) andThe Big Sick (2017) and received a nomination in theBAFTABest Supporting Actor category for his performance inThe Boy With The Topknot (2017).[68][69][70]
In 2019, Kher appeared inThe Accidental Prime Minister andOne Day: Justice Delivered, both of which were critical and commercial failures.[71][72][51]
After a gap of almost 3 years, he returned to the big screen playing one of the leads inVivek Agnihotri'sThe Kashmir Files (2022). It received polarising response from critics, but proved to be a huge blockbuster and got Kher a nomination in the Best Actor category at68th Filmfare Awards.[51][73] The same year he appeared in theTelugu filmKarthikeya 2, which also emerged a blockbuster at the box office.[74] In 2023, he appeared in the successful Malayalam comedyVoice of Sathyanathan andKannada actionerGhost, which too did well.[75][76]
This was followed by a series of box office duds likeShiv Shastri Balboa (2023),IB71 (2023),The Vaccine War (2023),Emergency (2025) andTumko Meri Kasam (2025).[77][78]
Kher ventured into directing withOm Jai Jagadish (2002) and has been a producer. He produced and starred in the filmMaine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara (2005). From October 2003 to October 2004, he served as chairman of theIndian Film Censor Board.[79]
In 2011 Kher released his first bookThe Best Thing About You is You!, which was a best-seller. His biographyLessons Life Taught Me Unknowingly was published on 5 August 2019 byPenguin Random House. In 2020, he wroteYour Best Day Is Today!, based on his experiences of theCOVID-19 crisis.[80][81][82][83] Remembering his father on his 9thdeath anniversary, he presented a poem written byLucknow-based PoetPankaj Prasun and posted it on social media.[84]
Kher hosted TV shows such asSay Na Something To Anupam Uncle,Sawaal Dus Crore Ka andLead India. In 2014, Kher has written and starred in a play about his own life calledKucch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai, which was directed byFeroz Abbas Khan.[25][85] In 2016, Anupam Kher was a narrator in theABP News documentary TV seriesBharatvarsh,[86][87] which showcased the journey fromancient India to the 19th century.[88][89][90] In late 2016, Anupam Kher producedKhwaabon Ki Zamin Par, a TV drama airing onZindagi.[91]
Starting in fall of 2018, Anupam Kher starred in NBC medical drama TV seriesNew Amsterdam[92] as Dr. Vijay Kapoor (a neurologist). He also appeared as Shahbaz Karim in theBBC1 dramaMrs Wilson.[93] Kher is the founder of Actor Prepares, an acting institute based in Mumbai.[94]
Kher married actress Madhumati Kapoor in 1979, but divorced after a few years.[95] In 1985, he married actressKirron Kher[96] who is aMember of Parliament fromChandigarh, belonging to theBJP.[97][98] Her son, his stepson, is actorSikandar Kher.[99] In 2010, he was appointed as the goodwill ambassador of thePratham Education Foundation, which strives to improve children's education in India.[100] Kher is an ardent supporter of theBharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Indian prime ministerNarendra Modi.[14][101][102]
On 20 September 2021, Kher was awarded anhonorarydoctorate degree inPhilosophy ofHindu Studies by theHindu University of America.[103]
as a member of the [Kashmiri Pandit] community
.svg)
