240 Paresh Rawal Movies, Ranked Best to Worst

Paresh Rawal made his debut in the 1982 Gujarati film ‘Naseeb Ni Balihari’ where he played the role of ‘Devaa.’ In 1984, he starred in the Indian coming-of-age drama film ‘Holi’ directed by Ketan Mehta. The following year, he joined the cast of the Indian Hindi-language action film ‘Arjun’ directed by Rahul Rawail. The film earned praise from critics. He went on to star in films like ‘Bhagwaan Dada’ (1986), ‘Mirch Masala’ (1987), ‘Dacait’ (1987), ‘Marte Dam Tak’ (1987), ‘Khatron Ke Khiladi’ (1988), ‘Aakhri Adaalat’ (1988), and ‘Sone Pe Suhaaga’ (1988). The year 1989 saw the release of the Indian Hindi-language masala film ‘Ram Lakhan’ where Rawal was seen playing the role of ‘Bhanu Nath.’ The film opened to critical acclaim and was a major box office success, becoming the second highest-grossing Bollywood film of 1989.

In 1990, he starred as ‘Awasthi’ in the Indian Bollywood action film ‘Kroadh’ directed by Shashilal K. Nair. The film failed to achieve success at the box office. Rawal made his Telugu film debut in the 1991 Indian Telugu-language road thriller film ‘Kshana Kshanam.’ The film saw positive reviews upon release with critics praising the performance of the cast. In 1993, Rawal was awarded the National Film Award and Filmfare Award for his performance as ‘Veljibhai’ in the Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film ‘Sir.’ That same year, he also starred in the action-comedy film ‘Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja’ which was a box office bomb. He was next seen in films like ‘Aag Aur Chingari’ (1994), ‘Laadla’ (1994), ‘Andaz Apna Apna’ (1994), ‘Krantiveer’ (1994), ‘Nishana’ (1995), ‘Baazi’ (1995), ‘Nirbhay’ (1996), ‘Hero No. 1’ (1997), ‘Mr. and Mrs. Khiladi’ (1997), and ‘Chachi 420’ (1997).

Rawal starred as ‘Police Commissioner Amod Shukla’ in the 1998 Indian Hindi-language gangster action crime film ‘Satya’ directed by Ram Gopal Varma. The film was a massive critical and commercial success and gained a strong cult following in the subsequent years. The following year, he appeared in the Indian Hindi-language action crime film ‘Vaastav: The Reality’ which was a major commercial success, grossing over ₹41.3 crores against a budget of ₹5.3 crores. In 2000, he got his breakthrough role as ‘Baburao Ganpatrao Apte’ in the Indian Hindi-language comedy film ‘Hera Pheri’ directed by Priyadarshan. The film was a remake of the 1989 Malayalam film ‘Ramji Rao Speaking.’ The film did well at the box office and acquired a cult status in the coming years. Rawal also won the ‘Filmfare Award’ for his performance in the film. 

He continued to star in films like ‘Love Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega’ (2001), ‘Aankhen’ (2002), ‘Awara Paagal Deewana’ (2002), ‘Hungama’ (2003), ‘Aitraaz’ (2004), ‘Garam Masala’ (2005), ‘Malamaal Weekly’ (2006), ‘Phir Hera Pheri’ (2006), ‘Welcome’ (2007), ‘Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!’ (2008), ‘Ready’ (2011), and ‘OMG – Oh My God!’ (2012). In 2013, he starred as ‘Abdul Razaq Khan’ in the Indian thriller film ‘Table No. 21’ directed by Aditya Datt. The film received mostly positive reviews from critics and was a moderate box office success. In 2014, he joined the cast of the Indian erotic drama film ‘Rang Rasiya.’ The film was to be released in 2008 but was delayed by the Censor Board due to its certain bold scenes.

He next appeared in movies like ‘Welcome Back’ (2015), ‘Guest Iin London’ (2017), ‘Uri: The Surgical Strike’ (2019), ‘Coolie No. 1’ (2020), and ‘Hum Do Hamare Do’ (2021). He is all set to appear in the upcoming film ‘Aankh Micholi.’