Kirron Kher

Born as Kiran Thakar Singh Sandhu on June 14, 1952, in Bangalore, Mysore State, India, Kirron Kher hails from a Punjabi Jatt Sikh family of the Sandhu clan1.

She completed her school education in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, and Chandigarh1. Later, she graduated from the Department of Indian Theatre of Panjab University, Chandigarh.

Kirron Kher was first married to Gautam Berry, a Mumbai-based businessman, in 1979, and they had a son, Sikandar Kher.

However, the marriage ended in divorce in 1985. During her struggle to establish herself in the film industry, she reconnected with Anupam Kher, a fellow actor and university acquaintance. They got married in 1985.

Kirron Kher made her film debut in 1983 with the Punjabi feature film ‘Aasra Pyar Da’. After a hiatus, she returned to films in 1996.

Her performances in films like ‘Devdas’ (2002), ‘Rang De Basanti’ (2006), and ‘Main Hoon Na’ (2004) have been highly acclaimed.

Throughout her film career, Kirron Kher has received numerous awards and nominations.

She is the recipient of two National Film Awards. She was also nominated for the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award for the film ‘Devdas’.

• In 2017, Kirron Kher faced backlash for her unsolicited advice to a young woman who was gang-raped.
• A controversy arose when a Bangla film actress, Rita Koiral, claimed that she had dubbed for the character of Kirron Kher in the film ‘Bariwali’, making her an equal claimant to the National Film Award.
• In 2023, during a foundation stone-laying ceremony at Kishangarh, Chandigarh, she came under fire for her use of “harsh language”.
• She was trolled for her statement on a Chandigarh rape case – where a young woman was gang raped by an auto-rickshaw driver and two of his accomplices.
• A misleading claim circulated on social media that Kirron Kher said rape is part of Indian culture and cannot be stopped.