Anupam Kher is celebrating a landmark moment in his life as he completes 50 years in Mumbai a city that transformed a young drama student into one of Indian cinema’s most respected actors. Marking the occasion, the veteran actor reflected on his first arrival in Mumbai on December 15, 1975, calling it the beginning of a journey that shaped both his personal and professional identity.
Sharing the memory on social media, Kher revealed that the milestone was brought to his attention by his close friend and National School of Drama classmate, Suhas Khandke. Recalling those early days, Kher wrote that he had arrived in Mumbai as a 20-year-old first-year drama student, unaware that the city would one day become his home and the foundation of his career. “Exactly fifty years ago,” he shared, remembering how he stayed with Suhas for ten days during a winter break — days that left a permanent imprint on him.
The actor fondly recalled staying at Walkeshwar Road, where he experienced the sea for the very first time. The sight of the vast ocean, combined with the unstoppable energy of the city, left him mesmerised. Reflecting on the people of Mumbai, Kher noted how different they felt from those he had encountered elsewhere. Today, he describes them with affection in a single word “chilled” a quality that, according to him, defines the city’s spirit.
Looking back at his five-decade-long relationship with Mumbai, Kher expressed deep gratitude, writing that the city has given him everything. “It gave me dreams and then helped me make them come true,” he shared, summing up a journey that spans over 41 years in cinema and close to 550 films. From friendships and success that kept him grounded to failures that taught him life’s toughest lessons, Mumbai has been a constant presence through it all. The actor also paid tribute to the everyday people of the city, calling ordinary Mumbaikars extraordinary. He described them as the true heartbeat of Mumbai resilient, hardworking, and endlessly inspiring.
Adding a personal touch to his post, Kher thanked Suhas Khandke for reminding him of this joyous milestone and shared a throwback image from his early theatre days. The photograph was from the play Ek Aur Dronacharya, directed by his late friend Satish Kaushik, whom Kher remembered with affection and emotion. As Anupam Kher celebrates his golden jubilee in the city of dreams, his words stand as a tribute not just to his own journey, but to Mumbai itself — a city that welcomes dreamers, nurtures ambition, and quietly turns hope into reality.
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