Anil Dhawan Wiki, Age, Wife, Children, Family, Biography & More

Anil Dhawan is an Indian actor who primarily works in Hindi television shows and films. He gained prominence for his role as Pramod Sinha in the Hindi film Andhadhun. Additionally, he is known for being the brother of David Dhawan and uncle of actor Varun Dhawan.

Contents

Wiki/Biography

Anil Dhawan was born on 28 August 1947 (age 77 years; as of 2025) in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Soon after completing his primary schooling, he attended St. Francis Xavier’s Inter College, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. After pursuing a higher secondary education, he pursued graduation at Christ Church College, Kanpur.

Nevertheless, Anil was inclined towards acting since childhood and often participated in several cultural functions in his schools and college. Hence, to pursue his passion, he attended the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune, where he obtained a diploma in acting.

Physical Appearance

Height (approx.): 5’ 11”
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black

Family

He belongs to a Hindu family in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh.

Parents & Siblings

Anil Dhawan’s father, Madan Lal Dhawan, was an AGM in UCO Bank. However, in 1993, he passed away. Meanwhile, his mother was a homemaker. Additionally, Anil Dhawan has two brothers, David Dhawan, a film director, and Ashok Dhawan, who passed away after battling cancer.

Wife & Children

In the 1990s, Anil entered into a marriage with actress Rashmi Anil Dhawan. Meanwhile, the couple has a son, Sidharth Dhawan, who is also an actor. Additionally, his daughter, Shilpa, worked as an assistant to Sriram Raghavan.

Other Relatives

He is the uncle of the famous Bollywood director, Puneet Malhotra.

Religion

He follows Hinduism.

Career

Films

After completing his diploma in acting from Pune, his mentor and friend Shatrughan Sinha introduced him to BR Ishara, the famous Indian film director and screenwriter. Impressed with his acting skills, Ishara gave him a small role in his film and he made his acting debut with the Hindi film Chetna.

Meanwhile, between 1970-80, he appeared in several Hindi-language films like Ravindra Kumar Bharti in Do Raha (1971), Ashok Gupta in Haar Jeet (1972), Rakesh Kumar in Tanhai (1972), Anil Kumar in Hawas (1974), Naresh Shukla in Zindagi (1976), and Deepak in Lal Kothi (1978). Subsequently, he has worked on more than 150 projects, and he has appeared in supporting roles in films like Purana Haveli (1989), Gola Barood (1989), Khooni Panja (1991), Jodi No. 1(2001), and Kyon Ki (2005). Meanwhile, in recent years, he has worked in films like Rascals (2011), Himmatwala (2013), and Andhadhun (2018).

Television Shows

Along with working in films, Anil Dhawan has worked for daily soaps and TV shows. In 1986, he made his television debut with the TV film Sone Ka Pinjra. Later, in 2003, he worked in the famous TV show KKusum, wherein he played Raman Kanwar. Meanwhile, in the same year, he worked in the TV show Tum Bin Jaaoon Kahan, wherein he played the role of Avinash Mathur. Subsequently, he has worked in several TV shows like Pyaar Ka Dard Hai Meetha Meetha Pyaara Pyaara (2013), Bhagyalaxmi (2015), Sirf Tum (2021), and Meet: Badlegi Duniya ki Reet (2021).

Net Worth

As of 2025, he has an estimated net worth of 55 crores, according to media sources. Meanwhile, acting projects mostly contribute to his staggering net worth.

Facts/Trivia

He is the eldest brother of director David Dhawan. Despite working in several successful Hindi films, he never became a cast member of David’s film. In a media interaction, Anil revealed the reason behind the same and said that he does not get well with comic roles. Meanwhile, he added in the same interaction that making a film takes a good budget. Hence, the idea of casting an actor for blood relations isn’t appropriate.
While pursuing a diploma at FTII, Pune, he was a batchmate to Jaya Bhaduri and Danny Denzongpa.
Besides premiered films, he has been a part of many shelved films including Tere Geet Mere Awaaz (1978), Mr.John (1995), and Shor Sharaba (1991).
In 2011, he joined Anna Hazare’s campaign against corruption.
He is often remembered for his bold scenes with actress Rehana Sultan in his debut film ‘Chetna.’
In a media interaction, he shared who his favourite actress was. It is the veteran actress, Asha Parekh.
He was born and brought up in a Punjabi Khatri family.

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