5 Things To Know About the Anupam Kher-Naseeruddin Shah Feud

New to this one? Here's the entire Anupam Kher-Naseeruddin Shah saga in five quick hits, no six-year archive dive required.

1. It started with a CAA interview, not a personal spat

The whole thing traces back to January 2020, when Naseeruddin Shah spoke to The Wire about the anti-CAA protests and praised Deepika Padukone's JNU visit. Asked about industry figures backing the government, he named Kher directly, calling him a clown and a sycophant.

2. Kher didn't just clap back, he built a defense out of a features list

Kher's video response argued that being criticised by Shah put him in great company, naming Dilip Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, Rajesh Khanna, Shah Rukh Khan and Virat Kohli as fellow targets. He also suggested Shah's judgment had been clouded by substances over the years.

3. The clip has a habit of coming back

This isn't a one-and-done story. The clown clip resurfaced repeatedly over the years, most notably in 2026 when Kher compared reported Ram Temple donation theft to historical temple looting under Mughal rule, and critics dug the old quote back up.

4. They apologised, in person, at a memorial service

In late 2025, Kher revealed on Samdish's YouTube show that Shah had apologised to him at the memorial service for H.D. Pathak, a chartered accountant who'd worked with both men. According to Kher, they hugged and Shah said, Sorry, yaar.

5. Kher still holds two things at once

Post-apology, Kher hasn't walked back his read of Shah entirely. He calls him brilliant and unmatched in parallel cinema, someone who inspired his own career, while also saying Shah sometimes speaks loosely about him and other big names. It's respect and disagreement, held at the same time, which is rarer in Bollywood feuds than you'd think.