NEW DELHI, DEC 15 :After battling Covid, and its consequences for almost two years, the nation entered 2022 with new hopes.

A lot had changed since the pre-Covid era, including Indian cinema and the audience’s taste, but when everything seemed uncertain in these changing times, one actor rose above the pack and proved how cinema unites us all, and it was Anupam Kher.

After being in the industry for four illustrious decades, Kher proved his prowess yet again in 2022 not only as the dependable artist that he is known to be but also as a crowd-puller in theaters.

With three releases grossing over Rs 500 crore at the worldwide box office, Kher made the year his own and emerged as the highest grossing actor at the ticket counter.

Kher started his year in theaters with Vivek Agnihotri’s ‘The Kashmir Files’. Originally seen as a small film by all, ‘The Kashmir Files’ turned out to be a monster at the cash registers.

Depicting the plight of the Kashmiri Pandits during their exodus from the northernmost state in the 90s, the film struck a chord with the audience nationwide, making the its success a case study in itself.

Kher’s portrayal of a teacher named Pushkar Nath Pandit, striving to survive amongst the riots in the state, proved his excellence as an actor, leaving the audience spellbound. His iconic performance is something that was lauded unanimously by all and it will surely be embedded in the history of Indian cinema.

Commercially, the film grossed over Rs 250 crores at just the Indian box office against a nominal budget, becoming one of the highest grossing Indian films of all time.

After starting the year with a roar, Kher returned to the big screen with yet another impressive outing in the Telugu film ‘Karthikeya 2’. Even after being a South language film, Karthikeya 2 connected to the audience nationwide. While he had a cameo in the film as Dr Dhanvanthri Vedpathak, Kher sure did leave a lasting impact with his brief performance and the film crossed over Rs 100 crore at the Indian box-office.

Kher ended this year on a sweet note of friendship with Sooraj Barjatya’s ‘Uunchai’, and this tale of three friends who embark on a treacherous trip to Mount Everest to fulfil their late friend’s last wish, left the audience emotional, with tears in their eyes and a smile on their faces. Even with a limited release and facing competition from an international film like Black Panther, Uunchai ended up being the audience’s first choice, and Kher proved the power of good cinema yet again.

Reflecting on this tremendously successful year, Anupam said in a statement, “Cinema is what binds us with each other and I have always attempted to keep the sanctity of that bond by giving good and memorable films to my audience. Even in these tumultuous times, the success of The Kashmir Files, Karthikeya 2 and Uunchai just showed the strength of this bond between us, assuring my faith that no matter the time, good content will always connect to the audience. This year has been special and it will truly go down as one of my most memorable years in the business.”

Kher is all set to carry on this momentum from 2022 in 2023 as well. He has some amazing projects in the pipeline, including Anurag Basu’s Metro In Dino, Kangana Ranaut’s Emergency, Kaagaz 2 with Darshan Kumaar, marking his reunion with his The Kashmir Files co-star, followed by a project with Neeraj Pandey that he had announced earlier in the year.

He will also be seen in a small-town comedy ‘Kuch Khatta Ho Jaay’, and this is just the beginning as he is raring to bigger and better.(UNI)