# Anupam Kher (अनुपम खेर)
**Anupam Kher** (अनुपम खेर; born 1955) is an Indian actor, director, and producer who works primarily in Hindi-language cinema and has also appeared extensively in international films and television. He made his screen debut in 1984 in [Mahesh Bhatt](https://www.edgepedia.org/mahesh-bhatt)'s *Saaransh*, playing a 60-plus retired common man at the age of 28, and won the [Filmfare Award for Best Actor](https://www.edgepedia.org/filmfare-award-for-best-actor) for the role.[1](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/anupam-kher-rs-400-in-bank-charges-rs-3-crore-per-film-bankrupt-house-mortgaged-10392776/) Over a career spanning more than four decades he has appeared in over 500 films, in Hindi as well as Tamil, Malayalam, Punjabi, Marathi, Chinese, and English-language productions.[2](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/anupam-kher/211)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1955, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0451600) |
| Training | Punjab University, Chandigarh, and the National School of Drama, Delhi; gold medal in acting[4](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/anupam-kher/bio/3000120083/) |
| Debut | *Saaransh* (1984), as a retired common man more than twice his real age; Filmfare Best Actor, 1985[1](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/anupam-kher-rs-400-in-bank-charges-rs-3-crore-per-film-bankrupt-house-mortgaged-10392776/) |
| Output | Over 500 films and 100 plays across more than 35 years[5](https://www.theanupamkher.com/bio) |
| National honors | Padma Shri (2004); Padma Bhushan (2016), India's third-highest civilian award[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0451600/) • [5](https://www.theanupamkher.com/bio) |
| Institutional roles | Chairperson, National School of Drama (2001–2005); Chair, Central Board of Film Certification (2003–2004); former Chairman of the Film and Television Institute of India[2](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/anupam-kher/211) • [5](https://www.theanupamkher.com/bio) |
| Family | Married to actor and politician Kirron Kher since August 25, 1985; one son, Sikandar Kher[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0451600) |
## Early life and training
Kher was born in Shimla and did his schooling at DAV Higher Secondary School in Lakkar Bazar there.[6](https://www.hindustantimes.com/punjab/small-town-boy-with-big-dreams-anupam-kher-says-the-city-made-me-who-i-am/story-UCoCFuguklDy0wIRzIPUHK.html) He has described stealing money from his mother to audition for a seat in the Department of Indian Theatre at [Panjab University](https://www.edgepedia.org/panjab-university) in [Chandigarh](https://www.edgepedia.org/chandigarh) as the first major turning point of his life.[6](https://www.hindustantimes.com/punjab/small-town-boy-with-big-dreams-anupam-kher-says-the-city-made-me-who-i-am/story-UCoCFuguklDy0wIRzIPUHK.html) After graduating he joined the [National School of Drama](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-school-of-drama) in Delhi, from the 1978 batch, and passed out as a gold medalist in acting.[7](https://images.shiksha.com/mediadata/articleCtaPdf/36277.pdf?v=1717180333) • [8](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/delhi-times/anupam-kher-a-retake-of-lifes-scenes/articleshow/15884674.cms) Before entering films he taught dramatics in Lucknow, where he took drama classes at Raj Bisaria's Bharatendu Natya Akademi.[4](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/anupam-kher/bio/3000120083/) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0451600/)
## Film career
**Debut and early recognition.** Kher began his film career with *Aagaman* (1982), but his breakthrough came with Mahesh Bhatt's *Saaransh* (1984), in which the 28-year-old played a retired common man past 60. He won the 1985 Filmfare Award for Best Actor for the performance.[9](https://www.bollywoodmdb.com/anupam-kher-nm-16) • [1](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/anupam-kher-rs-400-in-bank-charges-rs-3-crore-per-film-bankrupt-house-mortgaged-10392776/) He has said he was nearly replaced by [Sanjeev Kumar](https://www.edgepedia.org/sanjeev-kumar) in the role before Bhatt restored him.[10](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/anupam-kher-opens-up-about-struggle-stardom-and-always-speaking-his-mind-at-ninth-edition-of-expresso-10264724/)
**Range across genres.** Kher's notable Hindi films include *Karma*, *Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge* (1995), *Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!*, *Khosla Ka Ghosla*, *A Wednesday!*, *Special 26*, *Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara*, and *M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story*, in which he played the cricketer's father, Pan Singh.[5](https://www.theanupamkher.com/bio) • [2](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/anupam-kher/211) He has played comic, villainous, and serious parts; in the mid-1990s he moved largely into positive and comic characters, and by 2023 he said comedy no longer excited him and that he preferred serious roles.[11](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/anupam-kher-comedy-films-dont-excite-me-now-8939695/) His awards record includes eight [Filmfare Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/filmfare-awards) won consecutively, all in acting categories, a streak his talent agency describes as a record.[12](https://www.unitedagents.co.uk/anupam-kher/)
**Later leading roles.** In 2019 he played former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in *The Accidental Prime Minister*.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0451600/) In 2022 he appeared in *The Kashmir Files* as Pushkar Nath Pandit, a film his own website describes as having gathered worldwide acclaim and record-breaking box-office collections.[5](https://www.theanupamkher.com/bio) Recent work includes *The Signature* and *Vijay 69* (both 2024), for which he won a Pinkvilla Screen OTT Award for Best Actor for the latter and a Jury Award for Best Actor in an [Original Film](https://www.edgepedia.org/original-film) covering both.[13](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0451600/awards/) In 2025 he played [Mahatma Gandhi](https://www.edgepedia.org/mahatma-gandhi) in *The Bengal Files* and [Jayaprakash Narayan](https://www.edgepedia.org/jayaprakash-narayan) in *Emergency*.[14](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/celebrity/anupam-kher/filmography/)
## International work
Kher has worked with directors including [Ang Lee](https://www.edgepedia.org/ang-lee), David O. Russell, [Woody Allen](https://www.edgepedia.org/woody-allen), Gurinder Chadha, and the Wachowskis.[5](https://www.theanupamkher.com/bio) His international credits include *Bend It Like Beckham* (2002), *Lust, Caution* (2007), *Silver Linings Playbook* (2012), *The Big Sick*, *Hotel Mumbai*, and *The Boy with the Topknot*, along with the series *Sense8* and the NBC medical drama *New Amsterdam*.[15](https://www.fandango.com/people/anupam-kher-345047/biography) • [5](https://www.theanupamkher.com/bio) He was nominated for a BAFTA TV Award for Best Supporting Actor for *The Boy with the Topknot* in 2018.[13](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0451600/awards/) He is a member of the [Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences](https://www.edgepedia.org/academy-of-motion-picture-arts-and-sciences).[5](https://www.theanupamkher.com/bio)
## Institutional roles and teaching
Kher served as Chairperson of the National School of Drama from 2001 to 2005 and as Chair of the [Central Board of Film Certification](https://www.edgepedia.org/central-board-of-film-certification) from 2003 to 2004, and his former national appointments also include Chairman of the [Film and Television Institute of India](https://www.edgepedia.org/film-and-television-institute-of-india) (FTII).[2](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/anupam-kher/211) • [5](https://www.theanupamkher.com/bio) In 2005 he founded Actor Prepares in Mumbai, an acting school whose alumni include Deepika Padukone, Varun Dhawan, and Kiara Advani.[16](https://actorprepares.in/)
## Writing, philanthropy, and public life
Kher has published three books: the autobiography *Lessons Life Taught Me, Unknowingly*; *The Best Thing About You Is You*, translated into six languages and in its 20th edition; and *Your Best Day Is Today*, about his experiences during the 2020 pandemic.[5](https://www.theanupamkher.com/bio) He founded the Anupam Kher Foundation in 2008 to educate less privileged children and provide palliative care to those with life-limiting diseases, received the Dalai Lama Award for that work, and was appointed a UN Ambassador for the HeForShe gender-equality campaign in 2015.[4](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/anupam-kher/bio/3000120083/) • [12](https://www.unitedagents.co.uk/anupam-kher/)
His one-man play *Kuch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai* (Nothing Is Impossible), staged as his own biography, has completed over 400 shows worldwide and underpins his work as a motivational speaker for corporations and institutions including Harvard, Oxford, MIT, and the Kellogg School of Management.[5](https://www.theanupamkher.com/bio) In November 2015 he led the "March for India" in New Delhi, a protest by prominent film-industry figures against those calling the country intolerant, which ended with a memorandum submitted to President Pranab Mukherjee; Kher said the day after the march that nobody had the right to call India intolerant.[17](https://time.com/4104389/anupam-kher-march-for-india-intolerance-modi/)
## Directing
Kher directed *Om Jai Jagadish* (2002) and returned to direction with *Tanvi The Great* (2025), which he also produced through Anupam Kher Studio with the National Film Development Corporation and which had its world premiere at the Marche du Film during the Cannes Film Festival.[18](https://storage.firstindia.co.in/public/epapers/April2025/174474174315.pdf) In 2026 he announced *Shri Ram Bhoomi*, his 552nd film, in which he plays Ashok Singhal, directed by Kamakhya Narayan Singh.[19](https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/celebrities/story/anupam-kher-announces-his-552nd-film-shri-ram-bhoomi-calls-it-story-of-homecoming-2918945-2026-05-29)
## References
1. [From Rs 400 in the bank to charging Rs 3 crore per film, Anupam Kher recalls when he was 'almost bankrupt', The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/anupam-kher-rs-400-in-bank-charges-rs-3-crore-per-film-bankrupt-house-mortgaged-10392776/)
2. [Anupam Kher – Movies, Biography, News, Age & Photos, BookMyShow](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/anupam-kher/211)
3. [Anupam Kher, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0451600)
4. [Anupam Kher Biography, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/anupam-kher/bio/3000120083/)
5. [The Anupam Kher – Bio](https://www.theanupamkher.com/bio)
6. [Small town boy with big dreams, Anupam Kher says the city made me who I am, Hindustan Times](https://www.hindustantimes.com/punjab/small-town-boy-with-big-dreams-anupam-kher-says-the-city-made-me-who-i-am/story-UCoCFuguklDy0wIRzIPUHK.html)
7. [Discover Colleges, Courses & Exams for Higher Education in India, Shiksha](https://images.shiksha.com/mediadata/articleCtaPdf/36277.pdf?v=1717180333)
8. [Anupam Kher: A retake of life's scenes, The Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/delhi-times/anupam-kher-a-retake-of-lifes-scenes/articleshow/15884674.cms)
9. [Anupam Kher – Biography, Movies, Photos, BollywoodMDB](https://www.bollywoodmdb.com/anupam-kher-nm-16)
10. [Anupam Kher opens up about struggle, stardom and always speaking his mind at ninth edition of Expresso, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/anupam-kher-opens-up-about-struggle-stardom-and-always-speaking-his-mind-at-ninth-edition-of-expresso-10264724/)
11. [Anupam Kher: 'Comedy films don't excite me now', The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/anupam-kher-comedy-films-dont-excite-me-now-8939695/)
12. [Anupam Kher, United Agents](https://www.unitedagents.co.uk/anupam-kher/)
13. [Anupam Kher – Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0451600/awards/)
14. [Anupam Kher Movies List, Bollywood Hungama](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/celebrity/anupam-kher/filmography/)
15. [Anupam Kher Biography, Fandango](https://www.fandango.com/people/anupam-kher-345047/biography)
16. [Actor Prepares – About](https://actorprepares.in/)
17. [Pro-Government Celebrities and Marchers Say India Is Not Intolerant, Time](https://time.com/4104389/anupam-kher-march-for-india-intolerance-modi/)
18. [Jaipur epaper, April 16, 2025 (Tanvi The Great at Cannes)](https://storage.firstindia.co.in/public/epapers/April2025/174474174315.pdf)
19. [Anupam Kher announces film on 'Shri Ram Bhoomi', India Today](https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/celebrities/story/anupam-kher-announces-his-552nd-film-shri-ram-bhoomi-calls-it-story-of-homecoming-2918945-2026-05-29)
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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; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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