Hemant Kher is an Indian actor who shot to fame after his exemplary performance in the SonyLiv’s hit web series Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta story, directed by Hansal Mehta. Hemant played the role of Harshad Mehta‘s brother, Ashwin Mehta, in the series. He has also worked as a writer, creative director, and acting coach.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Hemant was born on Saturday, 17 December 1977 (age 43 years; as of 2020) in Kosamba, Gujarat. He did his schooling at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, and then he earned a Bachelor of Science from The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda in Vadodara, Gujarat. [1]YouTube He then did a Post Graduate Diploma in Dramatics at National School of Drama, New Delhi (2000 – 2003). [2]LinkedIn
A rare childhood picture of Hemant Kher
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 7″
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Dark Brown
Family & Caste
Hemant Kher was born into a middle-class Gujarati family.
Parents & Siblings
Hemant’s parents are retired school teachers. His father’s name is Ganpatsinh Hamirsinh Kher. He has one sister, Sanvi Piludaria.
Hemant Kher with his parents
Hemant Kher with his sister
Relationships, Wife & Children
Hemant got married to Urvashi on Thursday, 2 February 2006. He has two kids, Shiv and Dhriti.
Hemant Kher with his wife
Hemant Kher with his kids
Career
As an Actor
In the third standard, Hemant did a one-act play based on the life of Shravan Kumar (a mythological character from the popular Indian epic Ramayana) in which he played the role of Shravan. In twelfth standard, Hemant found out about the National School of Drama through a pamphlet enclosed in a letter, which belonged to his teacher. He decided that he wanted to get admission into the NSD. Hemant told his parents about his dream of becoming an actor, but he met with a sour response. His parents wanted him to complete his education and get a stable job. In an interview, he said,
I belonged to a farmer’s family and had no connections with this industry. But somehow in my school, I acquired this zeal to act. It was an incident where I came across a NSD brochure, and I felt like I was destined to do this. My parents weren’t supportive of this as acting was not a profession which people where open to then. But my father agreed and said that I can only do this after complete my degree college. Thus, after completing BSC in Chemistry, I began my journey to this industry of entertainment.”
Hemant failed the first time he appeared for the entrance test of NSD; however, in his second attempt, he cleared the entrance test. He came close to many famous Bollywood actors such as Pankaj Tripathi and Shyam Pathak (who plays the role of Popatlal in the popular sitcom Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah) while he was studying in NSD.
Hemant Kher with other famous actors from NSD
After completion of his course at NSD, Hemant came to Mumbai where he had to struggle even for small roles in movies and TV shows. While talking about his struggle, he said,
I am from a farmer family background. My grandparents had a lot of debt so the income of parents mostly went into liquidation of those debts. So it was a very uneasy situation for me. I couldn’t ask my parents for money to survive in Mumbai. After passing from NSD, I came to Mumbai, tried to audition for as many roles.”
Hemant earned recognition from his role of Ashwin Mehta in Scam 1992. Ashwin is the brother of the late stockbroker Harshad Mehta, who is infamous for committing India’s biggest financial scam.
As a Writer
While he was struggling for small roles in movies and TV shows, Hemant started working as a writer. His debut show as a writer was ‘Shabaash India,’ which was televised on Zee TV in 2006. Mr. Kher then went on to work for the shows like ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L’il Champs’ (2009), ‘Just Dance’ (2011-2012), ‘Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa’ (2012), and ‘Dil Deke Dekho’ (2016).
As an Acting Coach
Hemant has also prepared actors for their performances in movies and TV shows. While talking about his role as an acting coach in an interview, he said,
The thing is that acting coaching is not about teaching someone acting. It is about helping them explore their characters. It is about helping them understand that there could be many more layers [to their character]. They know how to act. It’s just that a second perspective helps them understand if they’ve done it right.”
His career as an acting coach began from shows such as ‘India’s Best Cinestars Ki Khoj’ and ‘India’s Best Dramebaaz.’ Hemant got an opportunity to coach the cast of the 2018 Bollywood film ‘Mitron.’ He prepared actors like Jackky Bhagnani and Pratik Gandhi for their roles in the film. He also coached Pratik Gandhi for his role of Harshad Mehta in Scam 1992.
Hemant Kher coaching the cast of Mitron
Mr. Kher has also worked with some Bollywood actors, such as Hrithik Roshan, Ayushmann Khurrana, Pranutan Bahl, and Chef Vikas Khanna.
Hemant Kher (2nd from right) with chef Vikas Khanna (2nd from left)
Hemant, along with the prominent casting director Mukesh Chhabra, has conducted many acting workshops such as ‘JUST ACT.’
Facts/Trivia
- In 2020, he won the Gujarati Mid Day Award for Most Versatile Actor.
Hemant Kher winning the award for the Most Versatile Actor
- Since childhood, he was passionate about watching films. He would entertain everyone in school by mimicking Bollywood actors. He used to show movies to his friends by joining the reels that he collected from outside of theatres and projecting them on whites sheets with the help of a torch and magnifying glass.
- In 2008, Hemant fell from a local train in Mumbai on his way to the sets of ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L’il Champs.’ He suffered injuries to his chest, legs, and spine. He was deemed unfit as an actor as he had to walk with the help of a stick. It took him many years to fully recover from his injuries.
- Hemant has a fondness for animals. His pet dog’s name is Barry.
Hemant Kher with his dog
- His pastimes include playing golf and horseback riding.
Hemant Kher riding a horse
- The Scam 1992 actor is also a travel enthusiast.
Hemant Kher travelling
- As per Hemant, after the success of Scam 1992, he received an offer to work with a filmmaker from Los Angeles. In an interview, he said,
It’s a wonderful opportunity and I am still in talks with the producers. I have read the script. And it’s wonderful. I believe if converted into a cinematic experience it can create wonders. I can say that it’s an amazing opportunity and I would love to explore all facets of cinema be it in Bollywood or Hollywood.”
