Anupam Kher recalls battling rejections over his baldness: "They said I could never be an actor"

Veteran actor Anupam Kher has opened up about the harsh rejections he faced early in his career simply because he was bald. The actor, in his recent chat, reflected on how the industry once saw his baldness as a limitation, and overlooked his talent. “People told me to become an assistant or a writer,” he recalled in an interview with The Free Press Journal, adding that even after earning a gold medal from the National School of Drama, people questioned, “But you don’t have hair, how can you become an actor?”

His first secretary, Ashok Punjabi, would insist he wear a wig to fit into the industry’s image of a hero. “He asked me if I had seen a hero without hair, and I told him, ‘It’s going to be me’.”


Anupam’s quiet confidence never wavered. He refused to bow down to societal expectations. “People like to pass judgments, but the courage and beauty of it is that you tell them ‘F off’,” he said with honesty that only comes from experience. For him, it was never about looks but about the work one puts in. “Your work should speak. People stay at the top because of their work and their attitude,” Anupam shared.

“It’s How You Market Yourself”
Anupam also highlighted how appearances do not determine success, using Shah Rukh Khan’s unconventional journey as an example. “Shah Rukh is not 6’2, he’s not muscular, but he’s ruled for 40 years,” he said, smiling. Drawing inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi, Anupam explained how Gandhi stood out by staying true to himself, bald and simple, while millions followed him.

As Anupam Kher prepares to bring Tanvi The Great to the audience, the expectations are high.