Anupam Kher's birthday special: The many times he reinvented himself

Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan awardee Anupam Kher has had a glorious run in the Indian film industry. He started his career with Saraansh where he played a 65-year-old man, although he was only 29 at that time! He subsequently went on to star in memorable movies like DDLJ, Darr, Tezaab, among others. On his 68th birthday, let's see how he has reinvented himself.

While the scenario is monumentally different now, it was once rare to see prominent Bollywood actors feature in multiple South Indian films. However, Kher has been an exception and played pivotal roles in several South films, even in new films like Connect and Karthikeya 2. Kher once said, "Greatness is achieved by a collective effort, and that I've learned by doing films in Telugu."

Kher might have worked with the biggest production houses in India such as Rajshri Productions and Yash Raj Films, but that hasn't stopped him from backing relatively smaller films. He has been associated with movies such as Shiv Shastri Balboa, Nayana, Shongram, Ranchi Diaries, and Shobhna's Seven Nights, among others. He has also lent his voice to the animated series Ramayana as King Dashrath.

For a long time, Kher was typecast as the leading man's father/sidekick/comic relief in a lot of films, but he successfully broke out of that mold through his unique selection of projects. Films like Special 26, Baby, The Kashmir Files, The Accidental Prime Minister presented him in roles that were strikingly different from the kind of work he was known for in the '90s.

Kher's career is the perfect example of an artist who has traversed the boundaries of language and culture. Due to his versatility, he has been in demand in English-language projects too, such as Sense 8, New Amsterdam, Bend it Like Beckham, and Silver Linings Playbook, among others. All in all, he has been a part of over 500 films and he isn't yet done!