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Paresh Rawal
Indian actor, film producer and politician (born 1955)
Indian actor, film producer and politician (born 1955)
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Paresh Rawal |
| image | Paresh Rawal February 2015.jpg |
| caption | Rawal in 2015 |
| birth_date | |
| birth_place | Bombay, Bombay State, India |
| (present-day Mumbai, Maharashtra) | |
| office1 | Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha |
| constituency1 | Ahmedabad East, Gujarat |
| termstart1 | 26 May 2014 |
| termend1 | 23 May 2019 |
| predecessor1 | Harin Pathak |
| successor1 | Hasmukh Patel |
| party | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| alma_mater | Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics |
| occupation | |
| embed | yes |
| years_active | 1982–present |
| spouse | |
| honours | Padma Shri (2014) |
| children | 2, including Aditya Rawal |
| office | Chairperson of National School of Drama |
| termstart | September 2020 |
| predecessor | Ratan Thiyam |
| residence | 602, Dr. B. D. Marg, New Delhi |
(present-day Mumbai, Maharashtra)
Paresh Rawal (born 30 May 1955) is an Indian actor film producer and former politician, known for his works primarily in Hindi films. Considered as one of the finest actors of Hindi cinema, he has appeared in over 240 films and is the recipient of various accolades. He was honoured with Padma Shri from the Government of India in 2014.
In 1994, he won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performances in the films Woh Chokri and Sir. For the latter, he received his first Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role. This was followed by Ketan Mehta's Sardar, which saw him playing the lead role of freedom fighter Vallabhbhai Patel, a role that got him national and international acclaim. His other notable works in Hindi cinema are Arjun (1985), Naam (1986), Shiva (1990), Mohra (1994), Tamanna (1997), China Gate (1998), Aitraaz (2004), Table No. 21 (2013) and Zilla Ghaziabad (2013). He has received recognition for his villain roles in Telugu box office hits such as Kshana Kshanam (1991), Money (1993), Money Money (1995), Govinda Govinda (1994), Rikshavodu (1995), Bavagaru Bagunnara (1998).
Rawal has gained acclaim for his comedy and few intense supporting roles in Hindi films, as some of his notable roles are in Andaz Apna Apna (1994), Chachi 420 (1997), Hera Pheri (2000), Nayak (2001), Aankhen, Awara Paagal Deewana (both 2002), Hungama (2003), Garam Masala (2005), Phir Hera Pheri, Chup Chup Ke, Malamaal Weekly (all 2006), Welcome (2007), Mere Baap Pehle Aap, Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! (both 2008), De Dana Dan (2009), Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge?, Ready (both 2010), OMG (2012), Welcome Back (2015), Tiger Zinda Hai (2017), Sanju (2018), Uri (2019), Dream Girl 2, Shastry Viruddh Shastry (both 2023) and The Storyteller (2025) in which he portrayed Satyajit Ray's famous character Tarini Khuro. His most remembered role is of Baburao Ganpatrao Apte in the cult classic Hera Pheri comedy franchise, and he also appeared in the Tamil film Soorarai Pottru (2020) and later reprised the same role in the Hindi version of the film Sarfira (2024) starring Akshay Kumar and Radhika Madan.
Early and personal life
Rawal was born and raised in Bombay (present-day Mumbai) to a Gujarati family.
In 1987, Rawal married Swaroop Sampat, an actress and winner of the Miss India contest in 1979. Paresh and Swaroop have two sons, Aditya and Anirudh. He is an alumnus of Narsee Monjee College of Commerce & Economics, Vile Parle, Mumbai.
As per his wife's admission, Rawal is Brahmin while his wife Swaroop Sampat is Bhatia.
Career
Rawal made his debut with the 1985 film Arjun in a supporting role. He was also part of the cast of the Doordarshan TV Serial, Bante Bigadte. It was the 1986 blockbuster Naam that established him as an actor with great talent. He then appeared in over 100 films throughout the 1980s and 1990s, mostly as the main villain, such as in Roop ki Rani Choron Ka Raja, Kabzaa, King Uncle, Ram Lakhan, Daud, Baazi and so many more. In the 1990s, he also starred in the cult comedy Andaz Apna Apna in which he played a double role. Rawal was perceived as a character actor by both audiences and critics until the 2000 Bollywood cult classic Hera Pheri, after which he starred in many Hindi mainstream films as a lead actor or main protagonist. Rawal played the dim-witted, boisterous and kind-hearted Marathi landlord Baburao Ganpatrao Apte in the film Hera Pheri, who takes in Raju (Akshay Kumar) and Shyam (Sunil Shetty) as paying guests in his house. Rawal's acting was a key reason for the major nationwide success the film received. For his performance, he won the Filmfare Best Comedian Award. He reprised his role as Baburao in the sequel to the film Phir Hera Pheri (2006), which was also successful.
Another notable lead role came in 2002 when Rawal portrayed one of three blind bank robbers in the hit film Aankhen, co-starring Amitabh Bachchan, Aditya Pancholi, Akshay Kumar, Arjun Rampal and Sushmita Sen. Rawal, for the remainder of the 2000s, was seen in mainly comedy oriented multi-starrers, mostly among the lead protagonists such as in Awara Paagal Deewana (2002), Hungama (2003), Hulchul (2004), Garam Masala (2005), Deewane Huye Paagal (2005), Malamaal Weekly (2006), Golmaal: Fun Unlimited (2006), Chup Chup Ke (2006), Bhagam Bhag (2007), Shankar Dada MBBS (Telugu), Bhool Bhulaiyaa, Welcome, Mere Baap Pehle Aap (2008) and De Dana Dan (2009). In 2010, Rawal acted in the movie Aakrosh, based on honour killing.
In 2012, Rawal played the lead role in the movie OMG – Oh My God!. Akshay Kumar was seen supporting him, and both won rave reviews for their roles. He has also had a very successful acting career in Gujarati plays, the latest one being Dear Father. For television he has produced several Hindi soaps including Zee TV's Teen Bahuraaniyaan, Sahara One's Main Aisi Kyunn Hoon and Colors' Laagi Tujhse Lagan.
His latest notable release is Rajkumar Hirani's Sanju with Ranbir Kapoor. He plays actor Sunil Dutt's role in the movie. He is also reprising his role as Baburao Ganpatrao Apte in Hera Pheri 3 which was going to be released in 2024, but is 'on hold' as of May 2023.
On 10 September 2020 he was appointed the chief of the National School of Drama, by the President of India.
In 2021, Rawal appeared in sports drama Toofaan, a film directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, alongside Farhan Akhtar, who is playing a national level boxer. The film was streamed worldwide on 16 July 2021 on Amazon Prime Video.
His other upcoming films are Bhooth Bangla, Welcome To The Jungle and Hera Pheri 3.
Politics
He won as the Bharatiya Janata Party's Member of Parliament (MP) from Ahmedabad East constituency in the 2014 Indian general election. In 2014, he was awarded Padma Shri.
Filmography
Awards and honours
Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Paresh Rawal
References
References
- (30 May 2019). "Paresh Rawal turns 64. PM Narendra Modi gives actor the best birthday gift". India Today.
- Khurana, Akarsh. (3 November 2018). "Ode to irreverence". The Hindu.
- "Ode to irreverence". The Hindu.
- (30 May 2024). "Paresh Rawal birthday: 5 cinematic marvels showcasing his remarkable versatility". The Times of India.
- "Paresh Rawal". [[Yahoo.com]] Won 2 national awards for Woh Chokri & Sir.
- (19 December 2013). "Ray's Tarini Khuro set for Bollywood debut". The Daily Star.
- PTI. (30 October 2012). "Ananth Mahadevan to adapt Satyajit Ray's short story into film". NDTV.
- (13 December 2013). "Paresh to tell Ray's story". The Times of India.
- (10 July 2024). "Sarfira Director Sudha on Recasting Paresh Rawal in Soorarai Pottru Remake: 'My Only Concern...' {{!}} Exclusive". News18.
- Tarannum, Asira. (2 August 2011). "'Star kids are not good actors'". [[The Times of India]].
- (5 July 2019). "From Sanjay Leela Bhansali to Paresh Rawal; Gujarati's who made it big in Bollywood". The Times of India.
- (26 October 2021). "Paresh Rawal says wife Swaroop was his boss' daughter, reveals how he proposed: 'Don't do this futile exercise with me'". Hindustan Times.
- "UMANG 2010, Inter-Collegiate Culture Festival, Narsee Monjee college".
- Karki, Manisha. (30 May 2024). "Paresh Rawal Birthday: When Actor's Wife Swaroop Sampat Revealed He Is 'Possessive'".
- "Box Office 2000". BoxOfficeIndia.Com.
- Pais, Arthur J. (15 October 2010). "Honour killing is a dishonour to any society". Rediff.
- "Best from Paresh Rawal has yet to come". News 24.
- (23 May 2018). "Hera Pheri 3 confirmed, to reunite Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty and Paresh Rawal". The Indian Express.
- (19 May 2020). "Suniel Shetty Shares An Update About Hera Pheri 3". NDTV.com.
- (10 September 2020). "Paresh Rawal appointed as chief of National School of Drama".
- Jha, Subhash K.. (10 March 2021). "Farhan Akhtar's pugilist drama Tofaan to release on OTT on May 21, confirms director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra". Bollywood Hungama.
- Parashar, Shivam. (1 February 2021). "Priyadarshan wraps Hungama 2 shoot". India Today.
- (24 May 2025). "Paresh Rawal returns Hera Pheri 3 signing amount with interest: Report".
- Pandya, Sonal. (26 July 2025). "Hera Pheri 3: Akshay Kumar CONFIRMS Comedy Is Back On After Paresh Rawal Exit, Dismisses Claims Of 'Publicity Stunt'". Times Now.
- (23 March 2014). "Paresh Rawal in dinu solanki out".
- (16 May 2014). "Election results 2014 Paresh rawals biopic on Narendra Modi on hold".
- "Parliamentary Constituency wise Turnout for General Election – 2014". Election Commission of India.
- "Ahmedabad East". Election Commission of India.
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