Anupam Kher Opens Up About Facing Rejections Because of His Look: 'I Was Told I Can't Be An Actor Because I Was Bald'

Veteran actor Anupam Kher, who is all set to return to direction with his upcoming film Tanvi The Great, recently got candid about the early rejections he faced in the film industry purely based on his appearance. Speaking during the film’s promotions in an exclusive conversation with The Free Press Journal, Anupam opened up about the cruel and discouraging comments he received when he first decided to pursue acting, particularly due to his baldness.

“When I entered the film industry in 1981, I was bald,” the veteran actor recalled. “Right now, what you see is a shaved look of mine. This is a very dignified, sexy and bald look. But when I came in the early ‘80s wanting to become an actor, I was going bald from everywhere. It was different. People told me to become an assistant or a writer. And when I told them I was a gold medalist from the National School of Drama, they said ‘but you don’t have hair so how can you become an actor’. I wanted to fight it out. My first secretary, Ashok Punjabi, used to keep telling me to wear a wig. When I asked him why, he used to tell ‘have you ever seen a hero without hair?’. And I used to say ‘it’s going to be me’.”

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Despite the harsh feedback, Anupam never let it break his spirit. He chose to fight back with talent and self-belief. He emphasized the importance of letting your work define you, rather than your looks. “I think people like to pass judgments but then the courage and beauty of it is that you tell them ‘F off’,” he said bluntly. “I always say this — your work should speak. That’s the only thing that matters. People stay at the top for many years only because of their work and the attitude they have towards their work. People will always have something to say. And they do this because they want to hide their own weakness by making others feel small about themselves. But I think it shouldn’t matter."

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He went on to highlight how physical appearance has little to do with long-term success in the entertainment industry, citing the example of superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who defied conventional notions of what a Bollywood hero is supposed to look like. “There are so many actors abroad who are short. Even our superstars are not the tallest of the guys. They’re not the muscular types. Shah Rukh Khan is not muscular, he’s not 6’2 but he’s ruling for the last 40 years now. It’s all about how you market yourself. I always say this about Mahatma Gandhi, he invented the trend of Gandhi topi and when thousands and lakhs of people used to wear the Gandhi topi, there used to be one bald man with a stick, and that was Mahatma Gandhi himself. He stood out. He never wore a Gandhi topi himself. It depends on you. Yes, it can be difficult. People can be cruel unnecessarily and there are bullies out there but it’s okay.”