The years-old public spat between veteran actors Anupam Kher and Naseeruddin Shah is trending on social media all over again, years after it first broke out. An old clip has resurfaced online in which Naseeruddin Shah, commenting on Anupam Kher's political views, called him a sycophantic joker. No sooner had that clip gone viral than an old, equally sharp response from Anupam Kher also resurfaced, in which he had said that years of drug use had left Naseeruddin Shah's thinking and judgement clouded. With this old argument suddenly back in the headlines all over again, Anupam Kher has now broken his silence and explained exactly where things stand between the two actors today, and why, in his view, this old fight flared up again in the first place.
Why a six year old video suddenly went viral again
Anupam Kher posted a video on his Instagram account expressing clear displeasure at the old clip being pushed back into circulation. He said plainly that whatever tension existed between him and Naseeruddin Shah had been resolved long ago and that it was now being blown out of proportion for no real reason. According to him, this six year old video did not simply resurface on its own by chance, it was deliberately recirculated to target him at a particular moment. He alleged that ever since he publicly shared his views on the Ram Mandir donation embezzlement controversy, an entire group of people has been going after him online, constantly looking for a fresh chance to troll him and pull him down.
Anupam Kher says it was a deliberate bid to defame him
Speaking in the video, Anupam Kher said that a few days earlier he had visited the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya and had openly shared how the visit made him feel at the time. He said some people did not like what he said at all, because it did not suit their agenda, and that this same group then began hunting for new ways to target and troll him afterwards. According to him, an entire machinery was activated just to abuse him online, and when that group could not find anything fresh to use against him, they dug out the very same six year old Naseeruddin Shah video once again to tarnish his image instead of engaging with what he had actually said.
What Anupam Kher revealed about his equation with Naseeruddin Shah today
The 71 year old actor also made it absolutely clear that, despite their ideological differences, his equation with Naseeruddin Shah today is completely normal and respectful. He said that in real life, he and Naseeruddin Shah have met each other, have hugged one another, and continue to genuinely respect each other to this day. Anupam Kher said many people had advised him to simply let the matter go since several months had already passed since the original clip, but they were forgetting that he had responded to that video at the time itself and had made his position absolutely clear back then, so there was nothing left unresolved. He further revealed that in 2025, Naseeruddin Shah personally met him and apologised to him in person, closing the chapter as far as he was concerned.
How the dispute between the two actors began in 2020
The entire controversy actually traces back to 2020, when ideological differences between the two veteran actors first came out into the open in public. During an interview, Naseeruddin Shah had taken direct aim at Anupam Kher over his support for the government, saying that Anupam Kher did not need to be taken seriously since he was just a joker, and that his contemporaries in the industry could vouch for his habit of flattery towards those in power. Responding to that sharp remark, Anupam Kher had released his own video at the time, saying
Naseer sahab, I watched your interview. You called me a joker and a sycophant, thank you for that. I never said anything bad about you, but now I want to say that despite achieving enormous success, you have spent your entire life in frustration. If you can criticise the likes of Dilip Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, Rajesh Khanna, Shah Rukh Khan and Virat Kohli, then I consider myself to be in the company of good people. We know it is not really you speaking, but the effect of the things you have been consuming for years.
Both actors, however, have now left that old bitterness well behind them and moved on with mutual respect between them.
Anupam Kher is currently shooting for Shri Rambhoomi in Ayodhya
On the work front, Anupam Kher is currently in Ayodhya, busy shooting for the film Shri Rambhoomi. His first look from the film was recently unveiled, showing him dressed in a dhoti kurta with a tilak on his forehead. In the film, Anupam Kher will be seen playing the role of Ashok Singhal, a part he has described as a huge responsibility for him personally. Interestingly, it was during the shoot of this very film that the actor visited the Ram Mandir for darshan, and it was that visit and his remarks around it that eventually set off this entire fresh episode, one that has now reached all the way back to a six year old dispute between two of Hindi cinema's most recognisable names.
