In 2020, actor Naseeruddin Shah had called Anupam Kher a ‘clown’ over his pro-government stance on social media. Anupam had responded strongly on X at the time. Now, in a recent conversation with Samdish on his YouTube channel, the actor has revealed that Naseeruddin later apologised to him in person.
Anupam Kher reveals Naseeruddin Shah apologised to him for calling him ‘clown’
Speaking about Naseeruddin, Anupam said, “I still have great respect for him. However, he sometimes speaks loosely about me. We did meet recently, where he apologised and said, ‘Sorry, yaar!’ We met at HD Pathak’s death. When we met there, he hugged me, because I always hug him. I genuinely like him a lot, and he is one of the actors who inspired me to take up acting. But I think sometimes he just says things like that.”
He added, “I don’t want to say this out loud, but he is a brilliant and intelligent man, and God has given him so much. Nobody is a bigger star than him in parallel cinema. Yet, I think there is some kind of bitterness that sometimes targets me, sometimes Dilip Kumar, and sometimes Rajesh Khanna.”
All about Anupam Kher and Naseeruddin Shah’s feud
In a 2020 interview, Naseeruddin had called Anupam a sycophant and a ‘clown’. Speaking about Anupam’s pro-government stance on social media, he told The Wire, “Someone like Anupam Kher has been very vocal. I don’t think he needs to be taken seriously. He’s a clown. Any number of his contemporaries from NFD and FTII can attest to his sycophantic nature. It’s in his blood; he can’t help it.”
In response, Anupam released a long video on X (formerly Twitter), reacting sharply to the remarks. “Despite achieving so much success, you have spent your entire life in frustration. If you can criticise Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Virat Kohli, then I am sure I am in great company,” he had said.
Anupam Kher’s recent and upcoming film
Anupam was most recently seen in the Canadian drama film Calorie, directed by Eisha Marjara. The film also stars Ellora Patnaik and Dolly Ahluwalia in key roles. It premiered at the Calgary International Film Festival on September 21, 2025, and was later screened at the International Film Festival of India before its theatrical release in Canada on November 28. He will next be seen in the Telugu film The Indian House alongside Nikhil Siddhartha.
