Kunal Khemu is busy. Yes, he's done with the shooting of “Blood Money” and awaiting its release, but what's keeping him occupied are the film's promotions. “It's been hectic. It's as tough as making a film. Because there are so many promotional events happening, sometimes it gets monotonous,” he says and after a pause confesses, “Looking attentive is another performance altogether.” Well, at least he's being honest, much like his role in the upcoming film where he plays a sincere middle class Maharashtrian boy, who gets a job offer in a diamond company in Cape Town. He believes that honesty can help achieve success but soon gets caught up in the dark side of the industry and unknowingly becomes part of an illegal activity. “The movie is being compared to ‘Blood Diamond' but it's nothing like that. Our film is a thriller and talks about exports and crime,” adds Kunal. Next up for the actor, is “Go Goa Gone,” an action adventure comedy, which is touted to be India's first zombie film.
Commercials, television, movies, he's done it all. Kunal started early. At an age where most kids sat glued to the television sets watching cartoons, Kunal was busy being a bratty child and giving Aamir Khan a tough time. That was in “Hum Hai Rahi Pyar Ke,” where he made his debut. He was seven then. “I had done something for Doordarshan and somebody spotted me there and that's how I got HHRPK. Mahesh Bhatt directed the film and it was shot during my holidays so I didn't have to miss school,” says Kunal. It was followed by numerous appearances as a child artist in movies such as “Sir”, “Zakhm”…Then came a six-year hiatus after which he returned, all grown up and ready to take on the role of a hero.
Interestingly, “Kalyug”, his first film as an adult was with the Bhatt camp. “Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt have been important in my life and they have faith in me,” he adds. According to him, he was rather nervous on the first day of his shoot for “Kalyug”. He was used to being the kid on the sets but now as an adult it was different. Only after a couple of shots did he get comfortable.
For someone who's fascinated with the process of filmmaking, becoming an actor was an obvious choice. “While growing up I wanted to become different things. Once I wanted to be a pilot. Acting might have been just a hobby for me but after I did ‘Zakhm', I realised I wanted to be an actor,” he says. Having gotten a degree in Commerce, he initially decided to give himself two years in the film industry and after that pursue an MBA. But barely seven months in the industry and he found himself getting quite a few movies, so MBA took a backseat. And judging by the way things are going for him, looks like the MBA might just have to wait longer.
