Anup Soni shares rare 1996 clip with Irrfan Khan from 'Tere Mere Sapne'
Synopsis
Before 'Slumdog Millionaire' and 'Life of Pi', Irrfan Khan was a young NSD graduate sharing intense scenes on a mid-90s TV drama. Anup Soni's #FlashbackFriday post resurfaces that forgotten chapter — a rare 1996 clip from 'Tere Mere Sapne' that shows two of Indian television's finest before the world knew either of their names.
Key Takeaways
Anup Soni shared a throwback clip on 20 June featuring the late Irrfan Khan from the 1996 TV show 'Tere Mere Sapne' .
The show aired from 1996 to 1997 , directed and produced by Ashok Pandit , and also starred Aruna Irani and Kiran Juneja .
Both Soni and Irrfan are alumni of the National School of Drama (NSD) .
Irrfan rose to mainstream film fame with 'Maqbool' in 2003 after nearly a decade in television.
Irrfan Khan passed away on 29 April 2020 , aged 53 , after battling a neuroendocrine tumour.
Actor and television host Anup Soni revisited a cherished chapter of his career on Friday, 20 June, sharing a throwback video clip featuring the late Irrfan Khan from the 1996 television drama 'Tere Mere Sapne'. The clip, posted as part of his ongoing #FlashbackFriday series, captures a young Soni and Irrfan in an intense scene from the show, offering fans a rare glimpse of two National School of Drama alumni sharing the small screen nearly three decades ago.
What Anup Soni Said
Accompanying the video, Soni wrote: 'Some memories become more precious with time. This scene is from a TV show Tere Mere Sapne, produced and directed by Ashok Pandit Ji, where I had the good fortune of sharing screen space with Irrfan Bhai. A senior from the National School of Drama, an extraordinary actor, and a wonderfully grounded human being.'
He added: 'As actors, we learn from every good co-actor we work with. Working with Irrfan Bhai was one of those experiences that stays with you forever. Looking back at this scene today with warmth, admiration, and gratitude.'
About 'Tere Mere Sapne'
'Tere Mere Sapne' aired on Indian television from 1996 to 1997 and was produced and directed by filmmaker Ashok Pandit. The show featured an ensemble cast that included Aruna Irani and Kiran Juneja alongside Soni and Irrfan. The series was part of a wave of socially conscious television dramas that defined Indian primetime in the mid-1990s.
Irrfan Khan: From Television to Global Stardom
Irrfan Khan, an alumnus of the National School of Drama (NSD), spent much of the early 1990s building his craft on Indian television, appearing in acclaimed productions including 'Chanakya', 'Bharat Ek Khoj', 'Banegi Apni Baat', and 'Chandrakanta' before 'Tere Mere Sapne'.
After nearly a decade of relative obscurity in the film industry, Irrfan earned mainstream recognition with director Vishal Bhardwaj's 'Maqbool' in 2003 — a celebrated adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth. He went on to deliver landmark performances in 'Haasil', 'Life in a... Metro', 'Paan Singh Tomar', 'The Lunchbox', 'Talvar', 'Hindi Medium', 'Piku', and 'Angrezi Medium', as well as international films including 'The Namesake', 'Slumdog Millionaire', 'Life of Pi', and 'Jurassic World'.
Irrfan passed away on 29 April 2020, aged 53, following a battle with a neuroendocrine tumour. He remains one of the most widely admired actors in Indian cinema's history.
Who Is Anup Soni
Anup Soni is best known to Indian audiences as the long-running host of the crime-based television series 'Crime Patrol'. A veteran of more than three decades in the entertainment industry, Soni is himself an NSD alumnus — a shared institutional bond that, he has indicated, deepened his appreciation of working alongside Irrfan on 'Tere Mere Sapne'.
The post has resonated widely among fans of both actors, serving as a reminder of Irrfan's formative television years before global acclaim found him.
Point of View
Shared by both actors, is precisely the kind of craft lineage that mainstream Bollywood discourse rarely credits. The resurfacing of such material matters because it fills in a formative chapter that streaming-era audiences — who discovered Irrfan through 'Life of Pi' or 'The Lunchbox' — may not know existed.
NationPress
20 Jun 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the TV show 'Tere Mere Sapne' that Anup Soni posted about?
'Tere Mere Sapne' was an Indian television drama that aired from 1996 to 1997, produced and directed by Ashok Pandit. The show featured Irrfan Khan, Anup Soni, Aruna Irani, and Kiran Juneja in its cast.
Why did Anup Soni share the throwback clip of Irrfan Khan?
Anup Soni posted the clip as part of his regular #FlashbackFriday series on social media, describing the experience of working with Irrfan as one that 'stays with you forever.' He called the memory 'more precious with time' and paid tribute to Irrfan as an extraordinary actor and a grounded human being.
When did Irrfan Khan pass away and what was the cause?
Irrfan Khan passed away on 29 April 2020 at the age of 53, following a prolonged battle with a neuroendocrine tumour. He had disclosed his diagnosis publicly in 2018.
What was Irrfan Khan's connection to Indian television before his film career?
Before achieving mainstream film recognition, Irrfan Khan was a regular presence on Indian television in the early 1990s, appearing in shows including 'Chanakya', 'Bharat Ek Khoj', 'Banegi Apni Baat', 'Chandrakanta', and 'Tere Mere Sapne'. He gained film recognition with 'Maqbool' in 2003.
What is Anup Soni best known for?
Anup Soni is best known as the long-running host of the crime television series 'Crime Patrol'. He is a National School of Drama alumnus with more than three decades in the entertainment industry.
