Anupam Kher



"I have never judged life. If I had, I would have been a complete mess..."

Perhaps it is this attitude that explains the steady evolvement of Anupam Kher, both as a person and as an actor over his nineteen years in the Indian film industry. Moving from very humble beginnings to acquire a gold medal at the National School of Drama, Anupam Kher started his career through the expression that mattered most to him - Theatre. He has always made time for the stage, having acted in more than a hundred plays including "Kuch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai", which is currently being staged successfully all over the world.

However, there is no denying that Anupam Kher is a talent mainly associated with the silver screen. With three hundred films to his credit, some of which are irreplaceable in their performance and value, Anupam Kher has made an indelible impression in the minds of his audience as one of India 's finest actors. With Gurinder Chaddha's ' Bend it like Beckham' he has now forayed into the international arena with challenging projects at hand.

A man of many ambitions, 1994 saw the launch of his own entertainment company to provide the highest quality of cinema and television entertainment, and has produced some very popular and unusual programmes in the last ten years. He took an important step further by producing his first film 'Bariwali' that went on to receive rave reviews in the international press with invitations to ten international film festivals.The film was felicitated with the NETPAC Award for being the most outstanding Asian Film at the Berlin International Film Festival and the Best Feature Film Award at the San Francisco International Film Festival.

Dipped in films, theatre and television, Anupam Kher's brush strokes give us a resplendent canvas that bears the weight of the Padmashree Award, bestowed upon him by the Govt. of India, and innumerable personal awards too. Not only has he to his credit the Special National Jury Award and the Actor of the Decade Award [Millennium Honours] among others, but he also happens to hold the record for being the only actor in the industry to have won eight Filmfare awards in a row.

And yet, Anupam Kher is more than just a success story with a celluloid image. He has always concerned himself with causes that kept him grounded and let him make a difference. He has taught special children for several years, is one of the founder members of People for Animals and has attended and organized numerous fund raising shows.

He also continues to host his exclusive children's chat show, 'Kuch Khatti Kuch Meethi Batein' on Zee Smile.