Indian Actors Who Played Three Or More Roles In One Film

Written By: Entertainment Desk

Oct 31, 2026 15:55 IST ⓘ

Indian actors who multiplied their screen presence in a single film.

A double role is practically an Indian-cinema institution. Give the hero a missing twin, separate them at birth and wait for the confusion to begin. Some filmmakers, however, looked at two identical faces and decided there was room for several more. The result? Actors playing entire families, confronting their own villainous counterparts and changing personalities faster than the audience could keep count. From elaborate prosthetics to tiny shifts in posture and speech, these performances demanded much more than a quick costume change.

Here are 20 actors who took on three or more parts in one film. Some carried several substantial characters; others delivered brief transformations or symbolic manifestations. Those differences matter – and make this an especially varied collection.

1. Johnson George - Aaranu Njan..? - 45 character appearances

45 is less a conventional multiple role than a one-man procession through history. Johnson George is credited with 45 character appearances in P.R. Unnikrishnan’s Malayalam film ‘Aaranu Njan..?’, released on March 9, 2018, with Muhammed Nilambur also in the cast. Its fantastical journey brings figures including Mahatma Gandhi, Jesus and Leonardo da Vinci into a contemporary framework. Many are brief transformations, rather than 45 equally developed storylines. Even with that distinction, the scale is extraordinary.

2. Priyanka Chopra - What’s Your Raashee? - 12 roles

One prospective bride for every zodiac sign made Priyanka Chopra practically an entire matrimonial shortlist. In Ashutosh Gowariker’s ‘What’s Your Raashee?’, released on September 25, 2009, she plays 12 women encountered by Harman Baweja’s Yogesh, who must marry quickly to resolve a family crisis. Darshan Jariwala and Dilip Joshi also feature. The women have different ambitions, ages and temperaments, requiring Priyanka to distinguish them through performance. The central casting idea was to make personality, rather than different actresses’ appearances, drive the choice.

3. Kamal Haasan - Dasavathaaram - 10 roles

A scientist, an assassin, an elderly woman, a Japanese martial artist and George W. Bush: Kamal Haasan’s range here sounds like someone shuffled several films together. K.S. Ravikumar’s ‘Dasavathaaram’, released on June 13, 2008, casts him in 10 parts, with Asin, Mallika Sherawat and Jaya Prada among the ensemble. A dangerous biological substance connects the modern-day chase, while the story also reaches into the past. Kamal wrote the film too, making him responsible for the narrative machinery as well as its astonishing collection of faces.

4. Sivaji Ganesan - Navarathri - 9 roles

For his 100th film, Sivaji Ganesan gave audiences nine versions of his formidable screen presence. A.P. Nagarajan’s ‘Navarathri’, released on November 3, 1964, follows Savitri’s runaway heroine as she encounters men embodying contrasting emotional states. Sivaji’s nine characters turn her journey into a showcase of changing voices, behaviour and social identities. Nagesh and Manorama also feature. The unusual structure lets one actor become the many faces of the world she encounters – and inspired remakes that carried the nine-role challenge into other languages.

5. Sanjeev Kumar - Naya Din Nai Raat - 9 roles

Sanjeev Kumar’s contribution to A. Bhimsingh’s ‘Naya Din Nai Raat’, released on May 7, 1974, was practically a miniature acting festival. His nine men include a wealthy widower, a psychiatrist, a fugitive, a deceptive godman and a theatre performer. Jaya Bhaduri’s Sushma meets them after fleeing an unwanted marriage, with Om Prakash and Farida Jalal among the supporting cast. Adapted from ‘Navarathri’, the film gave Sanjeev Kumar opportunities to shift between authority, vulnerability and menace without relying on one familiar screen personality.

6. Akkineni Nageswara Rao - Navaratri - 9 roles

Between the Tamil original and Hindi remake came the Telugu ‘Navaratri’, released on April 22, 1966. Tatineni Rama Rao directed Akkineni Nageswara Rao in nine roles, opposite Savitri, who returned from the original film; Jaggayya also appears. A young woman’s journey brings her into contact with contrasting personalities, including a doctor, a stage performer and a hunter. The premise turns each encounter into a fresh acting test. ANR’s challenge was to make the same face register as a different human being each time.

7. Govinda - Hadh Kar Di Aapne - 6 roles

Why cast a whole family when Govinda is available? In Manoj Agrawal’s ‘Hadh Kar Di Aapne’, released on April 14, 2000, he plays detective Raj Malhotra and five relatives: his father, mother, sister, grandfather and grandmother. Rani Mukerji, Johny Lever, Paresh Rawal and Satish Kaushik join the comedy about suspicious spouses and mistaken identities. The family appearances are comic cameos rather than six equally substantial leads. That distinction hardly diminishes the visual joke of discovering that almost everyone at home looks suspiciously like Govinda.

8. Madhuri Dixit - Gaja Gamini - 4 manifestations

Madhuri’s entry belongs to a more dreamlike tradition. M.F. Husain’s ‘Gaja Gamini’, released on December 1, 2000, presents its central woman through four manifestations: Sangeeta, Shakuntala, Monica and Mona Lisa, as identified in the synopsis. Shabana Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah, Inder Kumar and Farida Jalal feature in this meditation on femininity, art and time. These are symbolic forms within an overarching persona, rather than four lookalikes sharing an ordinary plot. Madhuri supplies the continuity while the film moves between different artistic worlds.

9. Amitabh Bachchan - Mahaan - 3 roles

Amitabh Bachchan becomes both branches of a family reunion in S. Ramanathan’s ‘Mahaan’, released on April 29, 1983. He plays a father, Amit, who assumes the identity Rana Ranveer, and his separated sons Guru and Inspector Shankar. That makes three characters – not four, despite the father’s additional name. Waheeda Rehman, Zeenat Aman, Parveen Babi and Amjad Khan also star. Crime tears the family apart, while the sons’ contrasting lives bring comedy and action into the eventual collision. Big B gets to supply the paternal gravitas and the youthful mischief.

10. Shah Rukh Khan - English Babu Desi Mem - 3 roles

Shah Rukh’s less-discussed triple turn came in Praveen Nischol’s ‘English Babu Desi Mem’, released on January 26, 1996. He plays Gopal Mayur and his sons Hari and Vikram, with Vikram’s return from England drawing him into a dispute over his late brother’s child. Sonali Bendre plays the aunt who has raised the boy, alongside Saeed Jaffrey in the ensemble. Romance grows out of a conflict about family and belonging. The father and brother appearances are smaller, while Vikram carries the main story.

11. Dilip Kumar - Bairaag - 3 roles

Dilip Kumar played Kailash and his sons Bhola and Sanjay in Asit Sen’s ‘Bairaag’, released on October 15, 1976. A father’s decision to abandon his visually impaired baby sets up a family drama involving separation, unequal circumstances and eventual revelations. Saira Banu, Leena Chandavarkar and Prem Chopra are among the principal cast. The three-part assignment gave Dilip Kumar the chance to move between paternal authority and two very different younger lives. It remains an unusual example of the actor becoming the central family’s past and future in one film.

12. Rajinikanth - Moondru Mugam - 3 roles

A. Jagannathan’s ‘Moondru Mugam’, released on October 1, 1982, gave Rajinikanth police officer Alex Pandian and his sons Arun and John. Radhika and Silk Smitha also feature in the revenge drama, in which the sons confront the consequences of their father’s killing. Alex’s forceful authority provides the legend; the younger characters allow room for romance and comedy. The film’s appeal comes from watching Rajinikanth vary his charisma across a family whose shared appearance conceals different temperaments. Three faces, one unmistakable star.

13. Chiranjeevi - Mugguru Monagallu - 3 roles

K. Raghavendra Rao’s ‘Mugguru Monagallu’, released on January 7, 1994, splits Chiranjeevi into Prudhvi, Vikram and Dattatreya, three brothers separated through violence and raised in different circumstances. Ramya Krishnan, Nagma and Roja star alongside him. Their eventual convergence supplies the action-comedy’s reunion and revenge machinery, while the brothers’ differing personalities give Chiranjeevi room to change gears. The pleasure lies in seeing the same performer supply multiple kinds of leading-man energy before the family finally fits back together.

14. Jr NTR - Jai Lava Kusa - 3 roles

Three brothers sharing a face does not guarantee brotherly harmony. Jr NTR plays Jai, Lava and Kusa in K.S. Ravindra, alias Bobby’s ‘Jai Lava Kusa’, released on September 21, 2017. Childhood hurt divides the triplets, and their reunion becomes a collision of resentment, ambition and affection. Raashi Khanna, Nivetha Thomas and Ronit Roy also star. Jai’s darker presence contrasts with his brothers’ personalities, allowing the performance to carry the emotional conflict as well as the multiple-role spectacle.

15. Vijay - Mersal - 3 roles

A doctor, a magician and a village leader give Vijay three routes into the same family tragedy. Atlee’s ‘Mersal’, released on October 18, 2017, casts him as Maaran, Vetri and their father Vetrimaaran. Nithya Menen, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kajal Aggarwal and S.J. Suryah feature in the ensemble. A revenge story rooted in medical exploitation connects the generations. The doctor’s compassion, magician’s showmanship and father’s earthy authority make the triple casting more than a matter of switching outfits.

16. Suriya - 24 - 3 roles

Suriya gets to invent the extraordinary device, covet it and discover what it can do. Vikram Kumar’s ‘24’, released on May 6, 2016, casts him as scientist Sethuraman, his ruthless twin Athreya and Sethuraman’s son Mani. Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Nithya Menen also star. A watch capable of manipulating time drives the chase, with family history turning every discovery into danger. The contrasting performances give the science-fiction mechanics a human anchor: invention, greed and youthful curiosity all arrive wearing Suriya’s face.

17. Ajith Kumar - Varalaru - 3 roles

Ajith plays Shivashankar and his sons Vishnu and Jeeva in K.S. Ravikumar’s ‘Varalaru’, released on October 20, 2006. Asin and Kanika feature in the family drama, whose apparent story of a wealthy father and irresponsible son gradually exposes a darker past and another son’s anger. Shivashankar’s history as a classical dancer adds a distinctive physical dimension to Ajith’s performance. The three roles turn family resemblance into a source of deception, resentment and revelation.

18. Mammootty - Paleri Manikyam - 3 roles

Mammootty’s triple turn serves a murder mystery rather than a reunion comedy. In Ranjith’s ‘Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathirakolapathakathinte Katha’, released on December 4, 2009, he plays investigator Haridas, landlord Ahmed Haji and Khalid Ahmed. Shwetha Menon, Mythili and Gowri Munjal also feature. An inquiry into a woman’s decades-old death uncovers violence, power and buried connections. The three parts carry different weights, but their shared performer helps tie the investigation to the troubling history it exposes.

19. N. T. Rama Rao - Daana Veera Soora Karna - 3 roles

NTR placed himself at three crucial points in the Mahabharata in ‘Daana Veera Soora Karna’, released on January 14, 1977. He played Karna, Duryodhana and Krishna, while also directing and producing the Telugu epic. Sharada, Nandamuri Harikrishna and Nandamuri Balakrishna are among the cast. Karna’s loyalties and position in the larger conflict form the dramatic centre. Playing characters with competing perspectives required changes in bearing and delivery as well as costume – an epic’s moral arguments conducted, in part, by one actor.

20. Rajkumar - Shankar Guru - 3 roles

A father and two separated sons gave Rajkumar three roles – Rajashekhar, Shankar and Gurumurthy – in V. Somashekar’s ‘Shankar Guru’. Released on February 17, 1978, the Kannada film also stars Kanchana, Jayamala and Padmapriya. The brothers’ adventures draw them towards their family’s troubled past and the people threatening it. The setup is classic commercial cinema, but its central attraction is precise: Rajkumar supplies both the older generation’s emotional weight and the younger men’s contrasting personalities. One family resemblance does a remarkable amount of dramatic work.

Honourable Mentions: More Indian Stars Who Played Multiple Roles

Saif Ali Khan, Riteish Deshmukh and Ram Kapoor each played three roles in ‘Humshakals’ (2014). John Abraham played three in ‘Satyameva Jayate 2’ (2021), while Paresh Rawal portrayed three distinct characters in ‘Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!’ (2008). Other triple-role performers include Nandamuri Kalyan Ram in ‘Amigos’ (2023), Sathyaraj in ‘Villadhi Villain’ (1995), Upendra in ‘Godfather’ (2012), Nandamuri Balakrishna in ‘Adhinayakudu’ (2012) and Sampoornesh Babu in ‘Kobbari Matta’ (2019).