Anupam Kher completes 31 years in tinsel town

Mumbai, May 25
From "Saaransh" to "Dirty Politics" - veteran actor Anupam Kher has completed 31 years in Hindi cinema. He says it has been an "amazing journey".

"Today I complete 31 yrs in Film Industry. It has been d most amazing journey since SAARANSH. Happy Birthday to me," Anupam posted on Twitter on Monday.

The 60-year-old actor's big ticket debut came with Mahesh Bhatt's "Saaransh" in 1984, in which he was seen essaying the role of a retired middle class Maharashtrian man who loses his son.

He played the role of an old man when he was just all of 28. He even bagged the Filmfare Best Actor Award for his performance.

Since then, Anupam has entertained the audience with a mix of films in the comedy and drama genres and has also played the villain such as his acclaimed role as terrorist Dr. Dang in "Karma" in 1986.

Married to actress Kirron Kher, Anupam is known internationally for "Bend It Like Beckham", "Bride and Prejudice" and "The Mistress of Spices". In 2012, he co-starred in the Academy Award-winning "Silver Linings Playbook".

Anupam also has an acting school titled Actor Prepares, which he established in 2005 to offer keen artists a chance to undergo an intensive professional-level course for specialised training in acting.

On the small screen, he has been seen in TV shows like "Say Na Something To Anupam Uncle", "Sawaal Dus Crore Ka", and the recent "The Anupam Kher Show - Kucch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai".

In 2004, the actor was honoured with the Padma Shri by the Government of India for his contribution to Indian cinema.

Anupam also ventured into film direction with the movie "Om Jai Jagadish" in 2002. He has produced and starred in the film "Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara" in 2005.

The "Shaukeen" actor also shared a collage of his memories including his outing with Hollywood actor Robert De Niro.

He captioned the image: "Glimpses of #ThirtyOneAnupamYears."

Actress Divya Dutta, who starred with Anupam in "Special 26" in 2013 wished the actor.

"@AnupamPkher awwww happy happy 31 st!!! N many more!!! Keep entertaining us wt ur awesome performances, writings n wit! Yipppp"eer," Divya tweeted.

Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt praised the actor on completing 31 years in Bollywood.

"Today 31 yrs ago this enduring classic SAARANSH was released & a star was born! @AnupamP"her," Bhatt tweeted.

Film director Vivek Agnihotri, who worked with Anupam in 2013 in the film "Buddha In A Traffic Jam" was seen "congratulating" the actor and even praised him by saying that the actor was "aging in the reverse order".