Anupam Kher is a Hindi film actor in India and has carved a niche for himself in both Hindi and English films. There is no denial of the fact that Anupam Kher is an actor of high caliber. He is not only a good actor but also one of the most down to earth and affectionate people one has ever met. His sense of humor is terrific and his thoughtfulness and warmth marks an additional grace to his personality. It is often remarked that real life happens to one while one is a busy making plan and the only thing that Anupam Kher planned was to be different.

The fact that he has never judged life has helped in the steady evolvement of this actor both as a person and an artist. He was born on 7th March in the year 1955. He was a small town boy and brought up in a non-affluent joint family where everyone was living together as a community. The pace of life in the place where he grew up, that is Shimla, was very slow and since nothing much happens, everything gets registered in the mind of a child growing up there. It was indeed a town full of distinct characters. He was a mediocre student cruising aimlessly for the first nineteen years of his life. He began his journey on a rupees hundred note, which he had stolen from his mother`s temple, which in some time took him to the prestigious National School of Drama where he discovered the most enduring passion of his life, acting. It is this passion of his life, which netted him the gold medal at NSD and fueled his dreams of becoming the most outstanding actor of Bollywood. His favorite actor in his younger times was Dev Anand and in his childhood days he would often roll up his hair in front just like the actor and rattle off his dialogue from his much popular film Guide. He is very satisfied with his parents as they did not crib about his failures but rejoined at every little milestone he achieved. He still remembers the time when his father would take him and his brother to the only five star hotels in Shimla and treat them with mutton patties because that the all that they could afford that time. This incident, he recalls in an interview stands out in his mind and has helped in forming the character that he is today. His father has been a major influence in his life. It is he who taught this great actor not to be afraid of failure and always be optimistic in life. After finishing school he joined the government college in Shimla and also received a runner-up prize in an inter-college competition.

Anupam Kher went to Bombay in 1981 and also dragged his brother with him. He told his brother to work in a factory to support him while he started doing the rounds of producer`s offices. Even when he was struggling to get into films the only thing he avoided was becoming part of the clique. He struggled on his own and taught himself to be self-reliant. But the constant dejection made him disappointed at a time. He thought of giving up and called up his grandfather to say that he wanted to give up. But it was his grandfather who encouraged him to carry on with the struggle and not to give up. He was hardly the hero material and so never dreamt of playing the lead role in a movie. One day he got a call from Mahest Bhatt to play the role of a 65 year old. But later on he was rejected for this role also saying that an experienced actor has been finalized for the same. But ultimately it was his honesty that made him get the role. This film also netted him the best actor award from Filmfare along with several others. Suddenly he became the happening star, signing film after film and shooting hour after hour. The humbling experiences of life also made him learn a lot from life. at the age of 27 he played so matured roles which would otherwise have been difficult on the part any actor to enact. He even enacted the role of an alcoholic father of Pooja Bhatt in the much-popular film Daddy. He has an extremely rich imagination and astute skills of observation. He is also an avid reader. To him the process of work was more important than the end result. Indeed he was never so presumptuous to think that he was to be one of the men to change the face of the Indian cinema. He has much faith on the Almighty and always thought that God had been very kind to him. His role in the film `Daddy` came to him at a time when he started to get a feel of degradation as an actor. It is from this point that he started evaluating his work and himself as an actor. The need to do this film was so much vital to reaffirm his faith on himself as an actor. He recounts in one of the interviews was made under horrible experiences but turned out to be very well. His hectic schedule got him into a stage where he was suffering from facial paralysis and needed life saving drugs/ it took him several months of electric currents therapy to get back to normal life. The movie Bend It Like Beckham was the second phase of his life as an actor. It is at this point that he decided that he would wipe his slate clean and would do only meaningful roles that would give him creative satisfaction. In the recent time he welcomes all his roles as a newcomer, which also helps him to add freshness to his work. He also feels that being competent does not lets one be brilliant. According to him if one tells himself that he has nothing it give the chance to excel. According to him failure teaches him far more than success does. Anupam Kher tied the knot with Kiron Kher and has one son named Sikander Kher who is also in the profession of acting. His brother Raju Kher made his acting debut in the directorial debut of Anupam Kher Om Jai Jagadish and Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara.

Anupam Kher is a talent mainly associated with the silver screen and made his debut in acting in the Hindi movie Aagman. With more than three hundred films to his credit, some of which are unparalleled in their performance and worth, this great actor has made an indelible impression on the minds of both the audience and the film-critics. He was also the host of many television shows including `Say Na Something to Anupam Uncle` and `Sawaal Dus Crore Ka`. He won both accolades and criticism for the characters he portrayed in the different movies. He has enacted both comic and villainous roles and all of them were critically acclaimed. His performance as a terrorist in the movie Karma and that of a father in the film Daddy has established as an actor of very high quality. In the later film he also received the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance. Anupam Kher is also a frequent award winner for his comic character portrayals.

Anupam Kher is a man of many ambitions. The year 1994 saw the launch of his own entertainment company, which aimed to provide highest quality cinema and television entertainment. His entertainment company has also produced some very popular and unusual programs. His decision of producing his first film Bariwali proved to be a great success as the film went on to receive rare reviews in the international press with invitations to ten international film festivals all across the globe. He ventured into the arena of direction and the first film he directed was Om Jai Jagdish of which he is also a producer. The list of his awards also includes the Best Actor Award from the Karachi International Film Festival for the movie Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara. Anupam Kher has also earned international fame with the award-winning movies like Bend It Like Beckham, Bride and Prejudice, his appearance in the hit television shows like ER and The Mistress of Spices. He also served as the chairman of the Indian Film Censor Board. He was an honorable alumnus of the National School of Drama in the batch of 1978 and later became as of its directors. He also holds the record for being the only actor in the Bollywood film industry to have been awarded with eight Film fare awards in a row. He has enacted in roles of all genres but according to him the comic roles are the most difficult ones. But he has been very successful in this genre also. His forthcoming projects include `Victoria No. 203`, `Wednesday`, `God Tussi Great Ho`, `Laaga Chunari Mein Daag`.

Anupam Kher is more than just a success story with a vibrant celluloid image. His concern towards human causes has made him emerge as a real super star in the galaxy of films. After his recovery from facial paralysis he also started teaching at Dilkush School, which is, an institution for mentally challenged kids and traveled from all over the world to be there each week for one year. He had also been working now with the downtrodden children for the last 7-8 years. He has not only taught special children for several years but is also one of the founder member of People for Animals and has also participated in attending and organizing numerous fund raising shows. He has also taken out time from his busy schedule to inspire people through a life-transformation course named `The Change Within` which is meant for students, housewives and professionals alike. This course is based on real life experiences and is meant to do the same. During the workshop also this much talented actor inspires people from all walks of life through his personal experiences. He is also believed to be a moving spirit and a happening teacher in his acting school called `Actor Prepares` which makes his students sure about the fact that the way he delivers cannot be done by anybody else. He is also set to establish a number of course centers in various nook and corners of the nation.

In one of the recent interviews Anupam Kher was also heard saying that there is a dearth of actors in the Bollywood film industry and that is why he is making his second directorial venture with the newcomer Ruslaan Mumtaaz who recently made his debut in the teenybopper romance Mera Pehla Pehla Pyar. He sincerely says that the film industry needs to cultivate new talent. His untitled directorial venture is a romantic film and goes on the floors in January or February. Hinting at the unfair awards system in the Indian film industry he also remarks that he is now matured enough to understand the games played by people. He also adds that he has been an eternal optimist and has realized that no one will decide about his happiness. His mantra of life is to live life as it comes and be as straight as possible. He is honest and has chosen to be himself.

Juggling between the roles of a silver-screen actor, a theatre artiste and a teacher he is a multi-dimensional personality and is sure to rule the Indian film industry as long as he lives.