8 times Anupam Kher made us laugh in blockbusters — birthday special

Anupam Kher is one of the finest actors to have emerged from the country. He has been showing his talent for more than 30 years across various genres — parallel cinema, hardcore comedies or family entertainers. If we take a closer look at his career graph, we notice that Kher has played characters with shades of humour in several blockbuster Hindi films. 

On Kher’s 62nd birthday, let us revisit some of his roles that have tickled our funny bone. 

1) Khal Nayak (1993)

Anupam Kher is one of those actors who creates an impact even if the first and second lead have a meaty role. Khalnayak was an out-and-out Sanjay Dutt film. Dutt was also in the limelight as he was arrested in the arms case just before the release of the film. But Kher’s hilarious character as the jailor managed to stand out, and so did his running dialogue, “All in the family.” 

2) Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995)

Aditya Chopra’s directorial debut, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, is among the most loved romantic Hindi movies. The film scored high on the comic front too, making it a complete entertainer. Anupam Kher was responsible for tickling the audiences' funny bone. His antics with Shah Rukh Khan are both hilarious and sweet. Their combined phrase, “O potchi, O koka, O bobby, O lola” is still a rage, even though people don’t understand it. 

3) Hum Aapke Hain Koun...! (1994)

Apart from Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Anupam Kher has been part of another all-time blockbuster, Hum Aapke Hai Koun...!. The film, which was released just a year before, saw him play the character of Professor Siddharth Choudhury, who was the father of Renuka Shahane’s character. Apart from serious scenes, he also displayed his light-hearted side in the film. The 'chuk chuk' sound from the ‘Wah Wah Ramji’ song immediately comes to mind.

4) Dil (1990) 

It is extremely difficult to play a comic villain. An actor needs to be funny and at the same time appear menacing. Anupam Kher did that well in Dil. He played Aamir Khan’s father, a kind of an antagonist who is against Aamir Khan and Madhuri Dixit’s marriage. Kher creates an impact right at the start. The film starts off with a sequence where he is showered with money, only to realise it was all a dream.  

5) Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin (1991) 

Anupam Kher’s character as Pooja Bhatt’s father in Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin stands out for two reasons. His character had unusually funny undertones. He played a caring father who called out his daughter's name (also Pooja) in a hilarious way. Secondly, to see him encourage his daughter to flee from her own wedding is unforgettable. Director Mahesh Bhatt has said quite a few times that such an act by a father was unthinkable in those times. 

6) Mohabbatein (2000)

Aditya Chopra’s Mohabbatein was primarily a conflict between Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan’s characters. Anupam Kher played a humorous side character called Kake. The characters of six youngsters used to hang out at his Kake’s Cafe. Even though Kake was not a prominent character, one can’t forget his antics. For example, the way he wishes ‘Happy julaab (loose motion) day’ instead of ‘Happy gulaab (rose) day.’ 

7) Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998)

This is yet another Shah Rukh Khan blockbuster which starred Anupam Kher in a comical role. His character as the principal of the college and Rani Mukerji’s father started off as comic relief. His scenes and situations with Miss Braganza (Archana Puran Singh) still crack the audience up. But as the film progressed, the character becomes serious and sensible as per the need of the storyline. 

8) Darr (1993)

This humorous performance by Anupam Kher stood out despite the film being a serious thriller, where Shah Rukh Khan’s villainous act sent shivers down the spine. He played the character of Juhi Chawla’s father, who is cricket crazy. His character was included to provide comic relief, a tactic used in the yesteryears. But his character never appeared out of place in the film. This was well taken care of by the late Yash Chopra as a writer and director.