Anupam Kher vs Naseeruddin Shah: Your Questions, Answered

If you've seen the clown clip resurface again and want the actual story without digging through six years of coverage, here it is, in direct answers to the questions people keep searching.

What exactly did Naseeruddin Shah say about Anupam Kher?

In a January 2020 interview with The Wire, during the anti-CAA protests, Shah said he didn't think Kher needed to be taken seriously, called him a clown, and said contemporaries from NSD and FTII could vouch for a sycophantic nature Shah described as in his blood and something he couldn't help.

Was Shah talking specifically about Kher's politics, or was it personal?

Both. Shah's comments came in a discussion about which film industry figures were supporting or opposing the CAA protests, but the specific language he used, clown and sycophant, went beyond a political critique into a character judgment, which is why it was widely read as personal.

How did Kher respond?

Kher posted a video response on social media within days, opening with a respectful Hindi address to Shah before arguing that Shah had spent his career frustrated despite success. He listed Dilip Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, Rajesh Khanna, Shah Rukh Khan and Virat Kohli as others he claimed Shah had criticised, and suggested Shah's judgment had been affected by substances over the years.

Did Shah ever respond to Kher's video?

Detailed, direct accounts of Shah responding specifically to Kher's video are limited in mainstream coverage. Shah has continued to be cited broadly as an outspoken commentator on politics and the film industry in the years since.

Why does this clip keep coming back years later?

It resurfaces almost every time Kher makes a new political comment. The most recent instance was in 2026, when Kher compared reported donation theft at the Ayodhya Ram Temple to historical temple looting under Mughal rule, and critics brought the old clown quote back up to frame the comment.

Have Kher and Shah actually made up?

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

Does Kher still think Shah was wrong to call him a clown?

He hasn't fully walked that back. Kher has said he still deeply admires Shah's work, calling him brilliant and unmatched in parallel cinema, while also saying Shah sometimes speaks loosely about him or other big names.

Have they worked together since the feud?

The two share a long filmography from before the 2020 rift, including A Wednesday!, Karma, Mohra, Main Azaad Hoon and Aiyaary. No new collaboration has been widely reported since the reconciliation became public.

Is this feud actually over, or could it flare up again?

The personal relationship appears to have been repaired, per Kher's account. But given that the original clip continues to resurface whenever Kher makes a new political statement, the public conversation around it is unlikely to fully disappear.