He has worked in Hindi television serials like "Kakkaji Kaheen" (1988) (roughly meaning "Uncle Says") as a paan-chewing 'Kakkaji', which was a parody on politicians, and "Mr. Yogi" (1989) as a suave 'Sutradhaar' who enjoys pulling the protagonist's leg. These two serials underlined Om Puri's versatility as a comedian. He received critical acclaim for his performance in Govind Nihalani's television film "Tamas" (1988) based on a Hindi novel of the same name. He played comic roles in Hindi films like "Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro" which reached a cult status, followed by "Chachi 420" (1997), "Hera Pheri" (2000), "Chor Machaye Shor" (2002), Deewane Hue Pagal, Chup Chup Ke, Kismet Connection and "Malamaal Weekly" (2006) and Oh My God. He was regular in films directed by Priyadarshan and Kamal Haasan.