Movie interview: Kunal Khemu

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“Acting makes me feel in place”

How did acting happen?

My parents Ravi and Jyoti Khemu are both actors. Dad comes from NSD. They were shooting in Srinagar with Ved Rahi. One day they required a kid and I was roped in. That was my first acting assignment. Then in Mumbai again Mr Ved Rahi used me for a TV serial Chitrakathayein on DD. Then somebody from the film ‘Hum hain raahi pyar ke’ saw me and called me to act in that film with Aamir Khan and Juhi Chawla. Then I got Raja Hindustani, Dushman, Girvi, Zakhm etc.

Was the transition from child star to adult hero difficult?

By the time I reached ‘Zakhm’ I realised I enjoyed acting and would like to make it a profession. I realised I’d have to take a break as people recognised me as a child star. So I took a break for 6 years completed my education and then met Bhatt sa’ab [Mahesh Bhatt] and told him I wanted to act and he offered me this ‘Kalyug’ role. I was more than happy. That’s my journey in films.

Tell us about your recent film ‘Kalyug’.

In ‘Kalyug’ I play a22 year old boy from a Kashmiri background.-the main lead. He comes to Mumbai with his father during the exodus there and loses his father in a train accident. The boy wants to make it on his own because he has no support of any kind. He comes across this Kashmiri girl and marries her. Their honeymoon is video taped and put into the market. The boy is treated as a criminal till he decides to go after the people who’ve done it to him He unveils the whole porn racket. That’s pretty much the whole film.

You are sharing screen space with other boys?

Emraan Hashmi is doing a guest appearance. I am very happy with ‘Kalyug’ as launch vehicle.

What was the feedback you received after ‘Zakhm’?

That was the film where I actually got the opportunity to show my talent and to show what I was capable of doing. Everyone recognises me as the ‘Zakhm’ boy. I owe big time to ‘Zakhm’.

What does acting do for you?

It makes me feel in place. It makes me happy. It’s what I want to do and nothing else would give me as much satisfaction and it’s not only because my parents are actors. They wanted me to become an Engineer or doctor. But they realised that I wasn’t inclined.