Anupam Kher & Mahesh Manjrekar Movies Together List — 4 Films
Complete Movies List & Collaboration History
Last updated: 2026-07-19 · Data sources: Wikipedia, TMDB
Anupam Kher and Mahesh Manjrekar appeared together in 4 Hindi films between 2007 and 2014. Their highest-rated collaboration was Dabangg (2010 — 6.1/10). Films span Dus Kahaniyaan (2007) through Singham Returns (2014).
The Anupam Kher & Mahesh Manjrekar partnership
From Dus Kahaniyaan (2007) to Singham Returns (2014). It started with Dus Kahaniyaan (2007).
The shape of the work
The 2000s belonged to Meerabai Not Out; the 2010s to Dabangg. Anupam Kher acted in every film; Mahesh Manjrekar acted in all of them. Strictly Hindi cinema — they never crossed industries together.
Partnership facts
- Anupam Kher personally called Mahesh Manjrekar to play the villain in 'Dabangg' after the original choice, Nana Patekar, walked out. Kher told Manjrekar the role was tailor-made for his intensity.
- In 'Meerabai Not Out', Manjrekar played a washed-up cricketer and Kher played his obsessive fan. Manjrekar later said Kher's improvisations during their hospital scene made him genuinely laugh, forcing the director to keep rolling.
- Their face-off in 'Dabangg' — where Manjrekar's Chedi Singh slaps Kher's character — became a meme template in North India. It directly inspired a similar slap scene in the 2012 hit 'Gangs of Wasseypur'.
- Kher and Manjrekar share a Marathi theatre background. During the 'Dus Kahaniyaan' shoot, they would break into Marathi between takes, confusing the Hindi crew. Manjrekar later said Kher was the only co-star who could match his speed in both languages.
- Mahesh Manjrekar on Anupam Kher: 'He is the only actor who can make you cry and laugh in the same scene. I learned more about timing from him than from any director.'
4 films across 2 decades
The 2000s accounted for 2 films, averaging 5.3/10.
The 2010s accounted for 2 films, averaging 5.9/10.
- Meerabai Not Out
- Dus Kahaniyaan
- Dabangg
- Singham Returns
The partnership in numbers
Partnership Pattern
4 films across 7 years represents consistent collaboration.
Language Distribution
Linguistic diversity: 1 language, with Hindi being their primary medium.
Where each was in their career
When they first worked together, Anupam Kher had 173 films behind them; Mahesh Manjrekar had 20. After Singham Returns, Anupam Kher kept going for 38 more films; Mahesh Manjrekar stepped back.
Before Dus Kahaniyaan, Anupam Kher had starred in 173 films, including Veer-Zaara (2004) and Khosla Ka Ghosla (2006).
After Singham Returns, Anupam Kher went on to appear in 38 more films, including MS Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016) and Baby (2015).
Before Dus Kahaniyaan, Mahesh Manjrekar had starred in 20 films, including Viruddh... Family Comes First (2005) and Vaastav: The Reality (1999).
After Singham Returns, Mahesh Manjrekar went on to appear in 18 more films, including Bajirao Mastani (2015) and Gandhi Talks (2026).
Collaboration Journey
A chronological view of Anupam Kher & Mahesh Manjrekar's professional partnership
Actors and musicians who worked on most of their films
Arbaaz Khan is the through-line — cast on 2 of their 4 films.
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