# Anil Dhawan (अनिल धवन)
**Anil Dhawan** (अनिल धवन) is an Indian film and television actor who entered [Hindi cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/hindi-cinema) in 1970 with B R Ishara's controversial *Chetna* and starred in roughly 40 films as a leading man in the 1970s and 1980s before moving into character roles and television. He is the older brother of the comedy director [David Dhawan](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-dhawan), and he returned to mainstream film attention as Pramod Sinha in [Sriram Raghavan](https://www.edgepedia.org/sriram-raghavan)'s thriller *Andhadhun* (2018).[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/anil-dhawan?ctr=918&filterBy=&people=&search=) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0223521/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1950, Kanpur; IMDb lists 1947, Kanpur, a discrepancy among sources[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/anil-dhawan?ctr=918&filterBy=&people=&search=) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0223521/) |
| Training | Diploma in acting from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, where Jaya Bhaduri was his batchmate[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/anil-dhawan?ctr=918&filterBy=&people=&search=) |
| Debut | *Chetna* (1970), B R Ishara's film about a young man's courtship of a sex worker, opposite Rehana Sultan[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/anil-dhawan?ctr=918&filterBy=&people=&search=) |
| Leading-man output | Approximately 40 films as hero, including *Hawas* (1974), *Saheb Bahadur* (1977), *Saajan Ki Saheli* (1981), and *Aakhri Cheekh* (1991)[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/anil-dhawan?ctr=918&filterBy=&people=&search=) |
| Career scale | Indian Film History lists 103 titles in his filmography, active from 1970 to the present[3](https://www.indianfilmhistory.com/actor/anil-dhawan) |
| Television | Around 18 serials, including *Kora Kagaz* (directed by Asha Parekh), *Main Lakshmi Tere Aangan Ki*, and *Roop - Mard Ka Naya Swaroop*[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/anil-dhawan?ctr=918&filterBy=&people=&search=) |
| Signature comeback | Pramod Sinha, a former 1970s movie star, in *Andhadhun* (2018)[4](https://scroll.in/reel/896646/anil-dhawan-interview-ive-had-a-most-satisfying-innings-and-i-couldnt-have-asked-for-more/) |
| Family | Older brother of director David Dhawan; married to Rashmi Dhawan; son Siddharth is an actor[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0223521/) • [3](https://www.indianfilmhistory.com/actor/anil-dhawan) |
## Early life and training
Dhawan was born in Kanpur, where his father worked as a banker.[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/anil-dhawan?ctr=918&filterBy=&people=&search=) • [5](https://indianexpress.com/article/express-sunday-eye/anil-dhawan-interview-5409483/) He went to school at St. [Francis Xavier](https://www.edgepedia.org/francis-xavier)'s School in Kanpur and graduated from Christ Church College, Kanpur, before enrolling in the acting course at the [Film and Television Institute of India](https://www.edgepedia.org/film-and-television-institute-of-india) in Pune.[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/anil-dhawan?ctr=918&filterBy=&people=&search=) In his own account, he had no acting experience but believed his looks and his six-foot height gave him a chance; he decided to apply after seeing an advertisement for the FTII course, auditioned in Delhi, and told his father only after being selected.[5](https://indianexpress.com/article/express-sunday-eye/anil-dhawan-interview-5409483/)
At FTII his classmates included Jaya Bhaduri and [Shatrughan Sinha](https://www.edgepedia.org/shatrughan-sinha), both of whom remained longtime friends and colleagues.[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/anil-dhawan?ctr=918&filterBy=&people=&search=) • [3](https://www.indianfilmhistory.com/actor/anil-dhawan) It was also at FTII, around 1968, that he met Rashmi, then 17 and his classmate, who later became his wife.[5](https://indianexpress.com/article/express-sunday-eye/anil-dhawan-interview-5409483/)
## The 1970s career
**A debut ahead of graduation.** Before finishing at FTII, Dhawan spent his last two months traveling to Bombay to look for work. Shatrughan Sinha, who had visited the institute, introduced him to the writer-director Babu Ram Ishara, who cast him in *Chetna* (1970) opposite Rehana Sultan, Ishara's future wife. The film shot in 26 days, so Dhawan graduated already one film old.[5](https://indianexpress.com/article/express-sunday-eye/anil-dhawan-interview-5409483/) Cinemaazi describes the film as one that "simultaneously shocked and titillated audiences" for its story of a young man's courtship of a prostitute, marriage, and tragic consequences.[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/anil-dhawan?ctr=918&filterBy=&people=&search=)
**Peak output.** Offers followed, though not all were satisfactory; Dhawan has said some producers offered roles without money or tried to lock him into restrictive three-film agreements, so he took many quick, modestly budgeted films that paid his full fee.[4](https://scroll.in/reel/896646/anil-dhawan-interview-ive-had-a-most-satisfying-innings-and-i-couldnt-have-asked-for-more/) In 1971 he signed seven films during Diwali, among them *Do Raha* (1971), *Ek Hans Ka Joda* (1975), *Samjhauta* (1973), *Annadata* (1972), *Anokha Daan* (1972), and *Haar Jeet* (1972).[5](https://indianexpress.com/article/express-sunday-eye/anil-dhawan-interview-5409483/) Several of these small-budget films did well commercially, including *Do Raha*, *[Piya Ka Ghar](https://www.edgepedia.org/piya-ka-ghar)* (1972), *Annadata*, and *Samjhauta*, and at the Calcutta premiere of *Samjhauta* frenzied fans tore the sleeves from his shirt.[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/anil-dhawan?ctr=918&filterBy=&people=&search=) • [4](https://scroll.in/reel/896646/anil-dhawan-interview-ive-had-a-most-satisfying-innings-and-i-couldnt-have-asked-for-more/)
His screen image was shaped from the start: *Chetna* cast him as an innocent, rule-following young man, and Dhawan has said that image stayed with him through his career. Songs picturised on him, such as "Main to har mod par tujhko dunga sada" (*Chetna*), "Yeh jeevan hai" (*Piya Ka Ghar*), and "Guzar jaye din" (*Annadata*), became popular enough that the director Sriram Raghavan later cited them as a reason to cast him.[5](https://indianexpress.com/article/express-sunday-eye/anil-dhawan-interview-5409483/) He also worked with the Bengali-associated directors [Basu Chatterjee](https://www.edgepedia.org/basu-chatterjee), Asit Sen, Hiren Nag, Tarun Bose, and Ajoy Biswas, and starred in the fantasy hit *Nagin* (1976).[4](https://scroll.in/reel/896646/anil-dhawan-interview-ive-had-a-most-satisfying-innings-and-i-couldnt-have-asked-for-more/) • [6](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/celebrity/anil-dhawan/)
## Later film and television work
In the 1980s multi-starrers and action films took over Hindi cinema, and Dhawan says he was "a total misfit"; rather than compete, he moved into character roles.[5](https://indianexpress.com/article/express-sunday-eye/anil-dhawan-interview-5409483/) He had entered the horror genre early, with *Darwaza* (1978), which he counts among the first horror films a major actor of his generation took on.[5](https://indianexpress.com/article/express-sunday-eye/anil-dhawan-interview-5409483/) Film credits in the 1990s and 2000s include *Hero No. 1* (1997), *Mr And Mrs Khiladi* (1997), *Jodi No. 1* (2001), *[Kyon Ki](https://www.edgepedia.org/kyon-ki)* (2005), and *[Himmatwala](https://www.edgepedia.org/himmatwala-2013-film)* (2013), released on 29 March 2013.[6](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/celebrity/anil-dhawan/) • [7](https://scroll.in/reel/890639/scroll_in)
Television became a substantial part of his work: he has said he appeared in 16 shows, and Cinemaazi counts around 18 serials, including the [Asha Parekh](https://www.edgepedia.org/asha-parekh)-directed *Kora Kagaz*, *Parampara* on Star Plus in the late 1990s (aired for four years, by his account), *Main Lakshmi Tere Aangan Ki* on Life OK opposite [Aruna Irani](https://www.edgepedia.org/aruna-irani), and *Roop - Mard Ka Naya Swaroop* on Colors.[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/anil-dhawan?ctr=918&filterBy=&people=&search=) • [5](https://indianexpress.com/article/express-sunday-eye/anil-dhawan-interview-5409483/)
## The Andhadhun comeback
*Andhadhun* (released 5 October 2018) brought Dhawan back to a prominent film role after a five-year gap.[4](https://scroll.in/reel/896646/anil-dhawan-interview-ive-had-a-most-satisfying-innings-and-i-couldnt-have-asked-for-more/) • [6](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/celebrity/anil-dhawan/) He plays Pramod Sinha, a fictional former 1970s movie star with a much younger wife, Simi (Tabu), whom he dotes on.[4](https://scroll.in/reel/896646/anil-dhawan-interview-ive-had-a-most-satisfying-innings-and-i-couldnt-have-asked-for-more/)
**Why he was cast.** The director Sriram Raghavan, himself an FTII graduate and the director of Dhawan's nephew [Varun Dhawan](https://www.edgepedia.org/varun-dhawan) in *[Badlapur](https://www.edgepedia.org/badlapur-film)* (2015), said he wanted a real 1970s actor because the character is a fictitious star of that era; he cited Dhawan's films such as *Chetna* and *Darwaza* and his "terrific songs" as fitting his requirements.[8](https://scroll.in/reel/890639/scroll_in) • [9](https://indianexpress.com/article/express-sunday-eye/sriram-raghavan-interview-5344715/lite/) The film leaned into this history: posters and clips in Pramod Sinha's apartment are from Dhawan's actual 1970s films, including *Chetna*, *Annadata*, *Honeymoon* (1973), and *Hawas* (1974), and songs such as "Yeh Jeevan Hai" from *Piya Ka Ghar* and "Teri Galiyon Mein" from *Hawas* appear in the background score.[4](https://scroll.in/reel/896646/anil-dhawan-interview-ive-had-a-most-satisfying-innings-and-i-couldnt-have-asked-for-more/) Some of the posters were from his films and others were deliberately fake, according to Raghavan.[10](https://amp.scroll.in/reel/905864/andhadhun-revisited-the-twists-and-turns-that-resulted-in-2018s-best-hindi-film)
The film, an ensemble black comedy thriller with Tabu, Ayushmann Khurrana, and [Radhika Apte](https://www.edgepedia.org/radhika-apte), became one of the year's hits, and Dhawan said afterward that his phone "has not stopped ringing" since its release and that the part pushed him as a performer.[10](https://amp.scroll.in/reel/905864/andhadhun-revisited-the-twists-and-turns-that-resulted-in-2018s-best-hindi-film) • [5](https://indianexpress.com/article/express-sunday-eye/anil-dhawan-interview-5409483/)
## Family connections
Dhawan is the older brother of the comedy director David Dhawan, who has said that Anil's success with *Chetna* and the trade paper *Screen* were what drew the family's attention to cinema and led David to enroll at FTII himself.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0223521/) • [11](https://indianexpress.com/article/news-archive/web/such-a-long-journey-3/) Dhawan and Rashmi have a son, the actor Siddharth Dhawan, and a daughter, Shilpi; Anjini Dhawan, Siddharth's daughter and Varun Dhawan's niece, made her Hindi film debut with *Binny and Family* in 2024.[3](https://www.indianfilmhistory.com/actor/anil-dhawan) • [12](https://avenuemail.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/THE-AVENUE-MAIL-SEPTEMBER-12.pdf)
## References
1. [Anil Dhawan, Cinemaazi Artists profile](https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/anil-dhawan?ctr=918&filterBy=&people=&search=)
2. [Anil Dhawan (I), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0223521/)
3. [Anil Dhawan: Filmography and Biography, Indian Film History](https://www.indianfilmhistory.com/actor/anil-dhawan)
4. [Anil Dhawan interview: 'I've had a most satisfying innings', Scroll.in, 2 October 2018](https://scroll.in/reel/896646/anil-dhawan-interview-ive-had-a-most-satisfying-innings-and-i-couldnt-have-asked-for-more/)
5. ["I am experiencing the same adulation that I did in the '70s": Anil Dhawan, The Indian Express, 21 October 2018](https://indianexpress.com/article/express-sunday-eye/anil-dhawan-interview-5409483/)
6. [Anil Dhawan filmography, Bollywood Hungama](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/celebrity/anil-dhawan/)
7. [Sriram Raghavan on his new film Andhadhun, Scroll.in, 2018](https://scroll.in/reel/890639/scroll_in)
8. [Director Sriram Raghavan interview, The Indian Express, 9 September 2018](https://indianexpress.com/article/express-sunday-eye/sriram-raghavan-interview-5344715/lite/)
9. [Sriram Raghavan on Andhadhun and casting Anil Dhawan, Scroll.in, 2018](https://scroll.in/reel/890639/scroll_in)
10. ['That people get a kick out of the ending is great': Andhadhun revisited, Scroll.in, 17 December 2018](https://amp.scroll.in/reel/905864/andhadhun-revisited-the-twists-and-turns-that-resulted-in-2018s-best-hindi-film)
11. [Such a long journey: David Dhawan interview, The Indian Express, 27 May 2011](https://indianexpress.com/article/news-archive/web/such-a-long-journey-3/)
12. [The Avenue Mail, Jamshedpur, 12 September 2024 (Binny And Family and Anjini Dhawan)](https://avenuemail.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/THE-AVENUE-MAIL-SEPTEMBER-12.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Film people and crafts › Film actors and performers › Indian and South Asian film actors by industry and language › Hindi film actors, 1970s–1980s › Surnames symbols to K*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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