Paresh Rawal

Paresh Rawal (born 30 May 1955) is an Indian actor, comedian, film producer and politician known for his works primarily in Hindi films. He has appeared in over 240 films and is the recipient of various accolades. 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. He was honoured with Padma Shri from the Government of India in 2014.

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.