Paresh Rawal is an Indian actor, producer and politician known for his work in Hindi and Gujarati cinema as well as in theatre. With a career spanning more than four decades, he has appeared in over 240 films and is regarded as one of the most versatile character actors in Indian cinema, equally at ease with comedy, villainy and dramatic roles. He served as a Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha from the Ahmedabad East constituency between 2014 and 2019.
| Full name | Paresh Rawal |
|---|---|
| Born | 30 May 1955, Bombay (now Mumbai), Maharashtra |
| Occupation | Actor, film producer, politician |
| Spouse | Swaroop Sampat (m. 1987) |
| Children | Aditya Rawal, Aniruddh Rawal |
| Political party | Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) |
| Constituency | Ahmedabad East (2014–2019) |
| Notable awards | National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor (1994); Padma Shri (2014) |
| Languages of work | Hindi, Gujarati, English |
Paresh Rawal was born on 30 May 1955 in Bombay into a Gujarati family. He studied at Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics in Mumbai. His introduction to performing arts came through Gujarati and Marathi theatre in the city, where he honed his skills before moving to films.
Rawal began his career on the stage and remained closely associated with theatre throughout his film career. He is most widely identified with the Gujarati and Hindi play Kishan vs Kanhaiya, written by Bhavesh Mandalia and others, which was later adapted into the 2012 film OMG – Oh My God!.
He made his Hindi film debut with Holi (1984), directed by Ketan Mehta. Through the late 1980s and early 1990s, he established himself as one of Hindi cinema's most effective antagonists in films such as Naam (1986), King Uncle (1993) and Sir (1993).
He won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1994 for his dual role in Woh Chokri (1994) and Mahesh Bhatt's Sir (1993).
From the late 1990s, Rawal moved towards character and comic roles, becoming a fixture in mainstream Bollywood comedies. Memorable performances include Teja in Andaz Apna Apna (1994), Baburao Ganpatrao Apte in Priyadarshan's Hera Pheri (2000) and its sequel Phir Hera Pheri (2006), and roles in Hungama (2003), Hulchul (2004), Garam Masala (2005), Malamaal Weekly (2006), Bhagam Bhag (2006), Welcome (2007), Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge? (2010) and Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007).
He played Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Ketan Mehta's Sardar (1993), a performance widely cited as among his finest. He also appeared in Tamanna (1997), Aitraaz (2004), Table No. 21 (2013) and OMG – Oh My God! (2012), which he co-produced and in which he played Kanji Lalji Mehta.
Rawal has worked in Gujarati cinema and has appeared in international productions including The Mystic Masseur (2001), directed by Ismail Merchant.
Rawal contested the 2014 Indian general election as a Bharatiya Janata Party candidate from the Ahmedabad East Lok Sabha constituency in Gujarat and won. He served a full term as Member of Parliament until 2019, but did not contest the 2019 general election.
In October 2020, Rawal was appointed Chairman of the National School of Drama (NSD), New Delhi, by the Government of India.
He married actress and former Miss India Swaroop Sampat in 1987. The couple have two sons, Aditya and Aniruddh; Aditya Rawal is a screenwriter and actor.
Rawal is regarded as among the leading character actors of Hindi cinema since the 1990s, credited with mainstreaming the supporting actor as a central comic and dramatic figure. His role of Baburao Ganpatrao Apte in Hera Pheri is widely considered one of the most iconic comic performances in Indian cinema, while his portrayal of Sardar Patel remains a benchmark in Indian biographical filmmaking.