Anupam Kher & Sunny Deol Movies Together List — 18 Films
Complete Movies List & Collaboration History
Last updated: 2026-06-04 · Data sources: Wikipedia, TMDB
Anupam Kher and Sunny Deol appeared together in 18 Hindi films between 1985 and 2013. Their highest-rated collaboration was Khel (1992 — 6.0/10). Films span Arjun (1985) through Yamla Pagla Deewana 2 (2013).
The Anupam Kher & Sunny Deol partnership
Their work runs across 4 decades of Hindi cinema. After 8 years apart, they came back together for Yamla Pagla Deewana (2011). 1989 was their peak — 3 films in twelve months.
They didn't share a set between 2003 and 2011. From Arjun (1985) to Yamla Pagla Deewana 2 (2013).
The shape of the work
The 1980s belonged to ChaalBaaz; the 2010s to Yamla Pagla Deewana. Anupam Kher acted in every film; Sunny Deol acted in all of them. Strictly Hindi cinema — they never crossed industries together.
Partnership facts
- They first clashed on Samundar (1986) because the director, Rahul Rawail, wanted a fresh face opposite Anupam Kher. Sunny Deol wasn't the first choice — he had to audition twice before Rawail agreed.
- In Tridev (1989), Anupam Kher played the villain while Sunny Deol was the hero. Kher later admitted that Sunny's raw intensity made him raise his own game — he started improvising threats on set just to match Sunny's energy.
- During the shoot of Izzat Ki Roti (1993), Sunny Deol's father Dharmendra visited the set. Anupam Kher later recalled that Dharmendra pulled him aside and said, 'You two fight so well on screen because you actually like each other off it.'
- Their pairing in ChaalBaaz (1989) was so popular that the film's producer, Pahlaj Nihalani, immediately greenlit two more projects with them — Izzat Ki Roti and Lootere — just to cash in on the chemistry.
- Anupam Kher once said in an interview: 'Sunny and I never had a single fight in 8 films. We just understood that he would punch, and I would fall. That was our deal.'
- In Zor (1998), their last film together, Anupam Kher played Sunny Deol's father — a role reversal from their earlier films where Kher was usually the antagonist. Kher later joked that Sunny 'finally got to boss me around on screen.'
18 films across 4 decades
The 1980s accounted for 5 films, averaging 5.2/10.
The 1990s accounted for 10 films, averaging 4.8/10.
The 2000s accounted for 1 film, averaging 3.5/10.
The 2010s accounted for 2 films, averaging 4.2/10.
- ChaalBaaz
- Arjun
- Khel
- Darr
- Jaal: The Trap
- Yamla Pagla Deewana
- Yamla Pagla Deewana 2
The partnership in numbers
Partnership Pattern
18 films across 28 years represents consistent collaboration.
Language Distribution
Linguistic diversity: 1 language, with Hindi being their primary medium.
Where each was in their career
49% of Sunny Deol's screen credits are with Anupam Kher. After Yamla Pagla Deewana 2, Anupam Kher kept going for 47 more films; Sunny Deol stepped back.
Before Arjun, Anupam Kher had starred in 3 films, including Saaransh (1984) and Utsav (1984).
After Yamla Pagla Deewana 2, Anupam Kher went on to appear in 47 more films, including MS Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016) and Baby (2015).
Before Arjun, Sunny Deol had starred in 3 films, including Betaab (1983) and Sohni Mahiwal (1984).
After Yamla Pagla Deewana 2, Sunny Deol went on to appear in 16 more films, including Chup (2022) and Gadar 2 (2023).
Collaboration Journey
A chronological view of Anupam Kher & Sunny Deol's professional partnership
Actors and musicians who worked on most of their films
They worked with the same 10 people again and again — a small repertory company. Amrish Puri appears alongside them in 4 films — practically a third lead.
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Other iconic Hindi director-actor duos
Discover other partnerships with comparable filmographies and ratings
