Father’s Day: Pankaj Tripathi, Irrfan Khan, Anupam Kher- Best on-screen dads in Bollywood films

While there’s no denying the fact that Bollywood has given us a lot of iconic mother characters, it has also given us some popular father figures to look up to as well. Over the year, Bollywood has seen a mix of typical strict fathers and the chill “cool” dads as well. Here, we count down some of our favourite on screen dad's. 

Dharamvir Malhotra in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge - Disney+Hotstar

Anupam Kher in one of his most popular role as the cool dad Dharamvir Malhotra essayed a role that was rarely seen on Bollywood screen; a dad sitting down with his son to drink and sending him on a Europe trip just because "Fail hona aur padai na karna hamaare khandaan ki parampara hai." He gave sage advice and at the same time, cracked us up with his jovial attitude. 

Anup Saxena in Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl - Netflix

In recent times, Pankaj Tripathi has been essaying several indelible roles which also includes that of Anup Saxena from Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl. He does everything in his power to help achieve his daughter's (played by Jahnvi Kapoor) dreams. It is a treat to see the father-daughter dynamic the two shared on screen. 

Raaj Batra in Hindi Medium - Amazon Prime Video

Irrfan essayed a father who would go to extreme lengths to give his daughter the best life, starting from the best education at an English medium school. 

Yashvardhan "Yash" Raichand in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham - Netflix

Amitabh Bachchan plays the quintessential strict Indian father who is bent on controlling the lives of his children which leads to a falling out with his eldest (adopted) son. In the end, Yash realises his fault and makes up with his son. 

Mahavir Singh Phogat in Dangal - Netflix

Aamir Khan essays the role of a father who doesn't believe in societal gender norms and trains his daughters to become wrestlers, overcoming all hurdles. 

Nitin Swaminathan in Dear Dad - Disney+ Hotstar

Arvind Swamy is the star of this highly underrated film about the coming out of a dad to his son. It takes a scenic road trip to Mussoorie to portray the father-son relationship in a heartwarming manner. 

Anirudh ‘Anni’ Pathak in Chhichhore - Disney+ Hotstar

The late actor Sushant Singh Rajput plays a supportive father in this story which is all too close to Indian society's mindset regarding the education system in the country. Anni is the type of understanding father everyone deserves to have.. Sushant portrayed the vulnerability and anguish of a father, whose son has attempted suicide, perfectly on screen along with describing his own shortcomings in life and how he conquered them.

DK in Masoom - Amazon Prime Video

Naseeruddin Shah essayed the role of DK in this 1983 film, who is living happily with his family with two daughters and is oblivious to a son he has from a past affair. When he's entrusted with his son, since his mother dies, DK has to manage his family while getting his son accepted into the family. 

Bunny’s father in Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani - Netflix

Farooq Shaikh in Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani is an underrated dad. He essays the role of Bunny (Ranbir Kapoor)’s father. Remembering his iconic dialogue from the movie,“Jaha tumhara jee chahe jaao, jo jee chahe karo, jis tarah zindagi jeeni hai jiyo, beta ek baat yaad rakhna zindagi mein chahe jo ho jaaye, kuchh bhi, mai humesha tumhare saath hoon" and the portrayal of his relationship with Bunny, no doubt, parents and children would wish to have a relationship like theirs. His character as an endearing father encouraging dreams was a breath of fresh air amongst the several controlling ones.

Sooraj Dhanrajgir in Jab Pyaar Kisise Hota Hai - VOOT

Salman Khan in this 1998 flick essays the role of someone quite contrary to his latest roles: a father stuck in a dilemma to choose between his son, whose presence he wasn’t even aware of a few months ago or his childhood friend who he has fallen head over heels in love with. From leaving his playboy ways to doing what is right by his son, we see a character change in Sooraj as he takes upon the responsibility of being a father. 

Jazz in Jawaani Jaaneman - Amazon Prime Video

Saif Ali Khan essays the role of a womaniser who is forced to mend his partying ways when his daughter Tia, whose presence he was unaware of, drops at his house, unannounced. What's more, Tia is pregnant which makes Jazz take a stalk of his abysmal situation and embrace their relationship.