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Pankaj Kapur
Pankaj Kapur

Co-Stars & Directors

Pankaj Kapur

29Co-Stars
4Directors
8Films with Naseeruddin Shah
veteranCareer Phase

Pankaj Kapur Co-Stars, Directors & Movies Together

Pankaj Kapur's collaborators

One pairing towers over the rest: Naseeruddin Shah, with 8 pairings — far ahead of every other collaborator. Pankaj Kapur's most frequent co-actor is Naseeruddin Shah — 8 pairings.

From 1981 (with M. S. Sathyu) to 2024 (with Dimple Kapadia). 29 on-screen partners, 4 directors — a balanced spread between cast and crew.

As of June 2026.

Collaborator network

Top 12 collaborators by composite strength score. Distance reflects strength; edge thickness reflects film count; warmer edges are more recent.

Hover any node — click to open the pair page.
Most acclaimed pairing
Pankaj Kapur × Dimple Kapadia
2 films·avg 8.8/10
Longest running
Pankaj Kapur × Naseeruddin Shah
32+ years·3 decades

Strongest pairings

Naseeruddin Shah leads the pack with daylight to spare — outscoring the next-strongest pairing by 67%.

33Total Co-Stars & Directors
8Most films with Naseeruddin Shah
2Role categories

Top pairings compared

Average ratings spread 2.7 points across the top four — quality varies sharply between these pairings.

MetricNaseeruddin ShahDimple KapadiaPankaj KapoorShahid Kapoor
Films together8262
Avg rating6.48.86.17.8
First1982201419852015
Latest2014202420132021
Best filmJaane Bhi Do YaaroJab Khuli KitaabMaqboolJersey
Role

Multi-decade partnerships

13 pairings have endured across two-plus decades — partnerships that outlast the eras.

Most acclaimed pairings

4 pairings cluster above 7.5/10 — Dimple Kapadia, Shahid Kapoor, and Satish Kaushik sit at the top of a high bar nothing else in the catalogue reaches.

Collaboration by Decade

1980s
54 films
5.3
Shyam Benegal, M. S. Sathyu, Naseeruddin Shah
1990s
2 films
4.9
Rajiv Mehra, Tinnu Anand
2000s
12 films
6.7
Vishal Bharadwaj, Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapoor
2010s
11 films
6.3
Vishal Bharadwaj, Rajiv Mehra, Naseeruddin Shah
2020s
3 films
6.9
Shahid Kapoor, Dimple Kapadia, Himani Shivpuri

Creative Legacy

Pankaj Kapur is a towering figure in Indian performing arts, renowned for his profound depth and transformative versatility across theatre, television, and cinema. His career trajectory is a masterclass in character acting, beginning with a strong foundation in the National School of Drama and the theatre movement, which imbued his screen performances with remarkable authenticity and meticulous cr

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