Anupam Kher is a well-known Indian actor and producer. He was the chairperson of the Film and Television Institute of India. However, in october 2018 Anupam Kher resigned as a Chairman because of his commitments to international TV show in America.He has received Filmfare Award 8 times and is two times recipient of the National Film Award. He has the record of winning the Filmfare Award for Best Comedian 5 times. To date, Anupam Kher has appeared in more than 500 Bollywood movies.
BIO:
| Birth Name | Anupam Kher |
| Profession | Actor, Producer |
| Date of Birth | 07-Mar-55 |
| Place of Birth | Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India |
| Hometown | Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India |
| Sun/Zodiac Sign | Pisces |
| Religion | Hindu |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Education | Graduated in Theatre Drama |
| Height | 5 Feet 7 Inch |
| Eye Color | Brown |
| Father Name – Pushkarnath Kher | |
| Mother Name | Dulari Kher |
| Brother | Raju Kher |
| Marriage Status | Married |
| Wife | Kirron Kher |
| Step son | Sikander Kher |
| Net Worth | Approximetly $70 million |
Early Life and Family – Anupam Kher was born on 7th March 1955 in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India, into a Kashmiri Pandit family. His father, Pushkarnath Kher, was a clerk in the Forest Department. His mother, Dulari Kher, was a homemaker. Anupam Kher also has an elder brother Raju Kher who is an actor and director.
Education and Qualification:
Anupam Kher completed his schooling at DAV Higher Secondary School, Lakkar Bazar, Shimla. In his school, Anupam Kher was a very average student who never scored more than 38 marks. He was also mediocre in sports but was excellent in drama and theatre. He completed his graduation in Economics from the Government College, Himachal Pradesh University. During his college days, Anupam Kher participated in several stage dramas. He was the best actor in his University. During that period, he attended an audition at the Department of Indian Theatre, Punjab University, Chandigarh that was offering a scholarship of Rs.200. Anupam Kher stole rupees 118 from his mother and ran from his home to attend the audition. The evening when he returned home to Shimla, he found his parents calling police about the lost money. When his mother inquired him, about the money he confidently lied to her saying he knows nothing but when after a week his father asked him where he was that day he told the truth and got a tight slap from his mother. His father however supported him saying that he has got the scholarship of rupees 200 and will return the hundred back.
He pursued drama from Punjab University in 1974 and won a gold medal. The first lesson, which he learnt at Punjab University by Balwant Gargi, was to pour tea properly. During the one-year course at the Punjab University Department of Theatre, Anupam Kher did lots of plays with Amal Allana and Balwant Gargi and earned gold metal which helped him to get direct entry at National School of Drama. Anupam Kher passed out the National School of Drama in the year 1978. After that Anupam Kher got a job at Bhartendu Drama Centre, Lucknow, as a drama professor. He relocated to Mumbai on 3rd June 1981 and started pursuing his career in acting.
Anupam Kher and the well-known actor and director Satish Kaushik were batch mates at the National School of Drama, Delhi.
Controversies:
In January 2016, Anupam Kher’s name was included in the list of Padma Bhushan awardees on which Kader Khan objected, saying, ‘What Anupam Kher has done to receive the Padma Bhushan”.
Anupam Kher shared a collage of Kashmiri pandits killed in the 1990 exodus in May 2016 on Twitter. The tweet of his rank up a storm on Twitter regarding the encounter of Hizbul Mujahideen’s poster boy Burhan Wani. Twitteratis found this post to instigate hate thoughts.
The Congress politician Shashi Tharoor and Anupam Kher have been involved in many battles on various issues on twitter.
In the year 2019, lawyer Sudhir Kumar Ojha filed a case against Akshay Khanna and Anupam Kher to Muzaffarpur Chief Judicial Magistrate, for damaging the image of Sanjaya Baru and Manmohan Singh in the movie Accidental Prime Minister, 2019.
Affairs and Marriage – In the year 1979, Anupam Kher tight knots with Madhumalti Kapoor. It was their arranged marriage. However, their married life was not so smooth. Things did not work between Anupam Kher and Madhumalti Kapoor, which lead to unhappy married life and, finally, divorce. In the year 1985, Anupam married Kirron Kher. Kirron Kher was the best friend of Anupam Kher from the Chandigarh theatre group. Previously Kirron was married to Gautam Berry, who is a Mumbai based businessman and has a son Sikander from her ex-husband. Even though Sikander is not the biological son of Anupam Kher, Anupam has been the father figure of Sikander throughout life. Both share a great bond.
Career:
The initial days of Anupam Kher in the entertainment industry after reaching Mumbai was a real struggle. He used to live in a Chawl during his struggling days. To help him financially, he called his brother Raju Kher, who worked in a tin factory in Mumbai, to earn Rs.700, which made his survival in Mumbai a bit easy.
Initially, Anupam got rejected by many Bollywood producers. Finally he Mahesh Bhatt offered him the movie ‘Saransh’. However, the Rajshri film’s producers did not want to experiment with any new face and opted for the artist Sanjeev Kumar. When Anupam Kher came to know about him being replaced, he reached Mahesh Bhatt’s office and called him a ‘con man’ in frustration. Mahesh Bhatt supported Anupam and put the condition in front of the production house that he will do the movie only if Anupam is given the lead role. In the movie Saransh, 28 years old Anupam Kher played the role of a 16-year-old man. The film ‘Saransh’ was the first milestone in Anupam Kher’s career that earned him numerous awards and honours. After the success of Saransh, Anupam was offered approximately 100 movie in just 2 weeks.
For the movie Karma, released in 1986, in which Anupam Kher played the role of a terrorist, he was critically acclaimed. In the Bollywood industry, Anupam has played essential roles in many hit movies such as Hum Aapke Hain Kaun, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Veer-Zaara, A Wednesday and many more. In the year 1987, Anupam deputed in the Telugu industry with the movie ‘Trimurtulu’. In 1990 he starred in the Malayalam movie ‘Indrajaalam’. In 2009 he appeared in the Punjabi movie ‘Tera Mera Ki Rishta’. In 2013 Anupam starred in the Marathi movie ‘Kashala Udyachi Baat’. Anupam Kher also made his appearance in the Chinese movie Lust and Caution in 2007 and the Hollywood movie ‘Gandhi Park’ in 2007. Anupam Kher received lots of appreciation for his international films such as Bend It Like Beckhem 2002, Speedy Singhs 2011 and Silver Lining Playbook in year 2012.
Anupam Kher appeared on the small screen as a host for the TV shows such as ‘Say Na Something To Anupam Uncle’, The Anupam Kher show – Kuch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai’, ‘Sawal 10 Crore ka’ and ‘lead India’. Anupam Kher has produced the Bengali movie ‘Bariwali’ in the year 2000. He directed and produced the film ‘Om Jai Jagdish’ (2002) and also produced and directed the movie ‘Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara’ in 2005.
Less Known Facts About Anupam Kher
- Does Anupam Kher drink alcohol – yes
- Does Anupam Kher smoke – Anupam Kher has quit smoking.
- The popular youTube prank caller ‘California Crook’ has utilised the face of Anupam Kher.
- He has done multiple language movies including Hindi, English, Malayalam, Kannad Telugu and Chinese.
- Anupam Kher strongly believes in astrology.
- He is one of the co-founder of India’s largest animal welfare organisation named ‘People for Animal.
- Anupam Kher founded ‘Anupam Kher Foundation’ in year 2008 that provides medical care to people suffering from life limiting diseases and education to underprivileged children.
- Anupam cheap purchase 1st house in 2015 for his family in Shimla and gifted it to his mother.
Awards and Achievements:
Filmfare Awards:
- Best actor for the movie ‘Saaransh’ (1984).
- Best supporting actor in the movie ‘Vijay’ (1988)
- Best Comedian for the film ‘Ram Lakhan’ (1989)
- Critics Award for the movie ‘Daddy’ (1990)
- Best Comedian for ‘Lamhe’ (1991).
- Best comedian movie ‘Khel’ (1992).
- Best Comedian for movie Dar (1993)
- Best Comedian for the movie ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’ 1995.
Special jury award in National Film Award for the movie ‘Daddy’ (1990)
Star Screen Awards in Best Supporting Actor for movie ‘1942: A Love Story (1994)
Best Comedian in Star Screen Awards for ‘Haseena Maan Jaayegi’ (1999).
Hindi movie awards in Best Supporting Actor category for movie Salakhen (1999).
Actor of the Decade Award-Millennium Honours in Year 2000.
Padma Shri award by Government of India in year 2004.
For the movie ‘Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara’ (2005) he received Special Jury Award in National Film Awards, Best Actor in Riverside International Film Festival at California and Best Actor in Karachi International film festival.
For the movie Khosla Ka Ghosla (2006), he received Best Actor Comic role in the Global Indian Film Award and Best Comedian in the Hindi Movie Award.
In year 2013, he received Outstanding Achievement in Cinema award at the Asians Awards.
In 2015 Anupam received Kalakar Award for The actor of the Year .
He received Padma Bhushan by Government of India in 2016
Anupam was honoured with Master Dinanath Mangeshkar Smruti Pratishthan award in 2018
