Kirron Kher Turns 70: Top 5 Powerful Performances of the Versatile Actress

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIRRON KHER: Actress and politician Kirron Kher turned 70 on Tuesday. The actress has delivered some remarkable performances over the years and has cemented her image as the loud Punjabi mother in the film industry. However, that is not the only role Kirron has aced. Let us take a look at some of her unforgettable performances.

1. Khamosh Pani (2004)
   Directed by Pakistani filmmaker Sabiha Sumar, Khamosh Pani is a riveting tale of a widowed woman and her life in post-partition Pakistan. Kirron essayed the role of Ayesha, a middle-aged woman who teaches the Quran in a nearby school. Ayesha grew up in a Sikh family and was left in Pakistan during the partition. She married a Muslim and had a son. Throughout her life in Pakistan, she fought fundamentalism, only to realise that her son had fallen prey to it.
2. Devdas (2002)
   Kirron’s performance as Paro’s mother, Sumitra, remains notable. Directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, the multi-starrer magnum opus, saw Kirron play the role of a proud and self-respecting mother, who could not see her daughter fall into the trap of haughty rich neighbours.
3. Dostana (2008)
   Introducing the audience to a hypothetical gay love story, this Tarun Mansukhani directorial was memorable for more than one reason. Kirron’s role as a typical Indian mother whose dream is to see her son get married is sublime and hilarious. Her performance as the hyperbolic lamenting mother who has realised that her son is homosexual, is one that resonated with many Indian mothers.
4. Om Shanti Om (2006)
   Kirron plays the role of the super dramatic mother of a junior artist in the hyper-competitive Hindi film industry. Directed by Farah Khan, Om Shanti Om starred Shah Rukh Khan as the struggling artist in the 70s, and as a superstar reborn with a silver spoon. Kirron channels the emotions of a dramatic mother who only wants to see her son’s success and happiness.
5. Bariwali (2000)
   Kirron won the National Award for Best Actress for her role in Rituparno Ghosh’s Bengali film. She played the role of a middle-aged woman Banalata who lets a filmmaker film his project in her house. During this process, she falls in love with the director, however, Banalata is heartbroken when her love is not reciprocated. The film also starred Roopa Ganguly and Chiranjeet Chakraborty.