Anil Kapoor is celebrating his former co-star Tom Cruise, who was honoured with the prestigious Academy Honorary Award at the 2025 Governors Awards. The Bollywood actor shared a warm and emotional message for Cruise, calling the recognition “richly deserved” and praising the Hollywood icon’s long-standing contribution to cinema.
On Tuesday, Anil posted a long note on Instagram, expressing his happiness for the actor he fondly calls a dear friend. “Congratulations, dear friend, on this incredible honour. Your passion, discipline, and generosity are unmatched. The world has always admired you, and now they have honoured you with what you richly deserve,” he wrote.
Anil added that Cruise’s journey represents every artist who puts their heart into filmmaking. He thanked Tom for his brilliance and for a friendship he said he would “cherish forever.” The two actors worked together in the 2011 hit Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, where Anil played billionaire Brij Nath opposite Cruise’s iconic Ethan Hunt.
Tom Cruise, who has been one of Hollywood’s biggest stars for more than four decades, reflected on the emotional power of movies during his acceptance speech. Quoting his words from the ceremony, Anil shared how Cruise credited cinema for shaping his worldview.
Tom said the movies helped him travel the world, appreciate differences and understand shared human emotions. “No matter where we come from, in that theater we laugh together, we feel together, we hope together,” Cruise said.
The moment has been celebrated widely across the film industry, with many fans and colleagues applauding Tom Cruise’s long-awaited recognition and Anil Kapoor’s heartfelt tribute.