Stepping into the Excel Entertainment office in Mumbai, a sense of curiosity encompassed me as I prepared to interview Kunal Kemmu. This multifaceted artist, originally captivating audiences as a child actor and later as a versatile star, has evolved into a biker enthusiast and quintessential Mumbai lad. Now, at the age of 40 and father to a primary schooler, Kunal stands on the brink of a new endeavor, embarking on his journey as a writer-director with his upcoming film, Madgaon Express.
To my relief, I was greeted by the casual Kunal donning a white t-shirt paired with sneakers, his neck adorned with a gleaming silver chain, and his hair styled reminiscent of his portrayals from the early 2010s. It’s interesting how he seems to outshine the youthful appearance of his three male leads in Madgaon Express — Pratik Gandhi, Divyendu Sharma, and Avinash Tiwary — portraying former school friends on a belated journey to Goa.
The trailer for Madgaon Express promises a lively buddy comedy, complete with gangsters and absurd hijinks. I inquired if Kunal felt the weight of competing against iconic Goa-centric films like Farhan Akhtar’s Dil Chahta Hai or his own outlier, Go Goa Gone. Kunal responded nonchalantly, his main drive being his passion for the story of Madgaon Express. According to him, if his vision is distinct, it will naturally manifest through the film.
Kunal’s script for Madgaon Express was birthed a decade prior, initially in the form of rudimentary thoughts about his characters’ backgrounds and life philosophies. He expressed his ambition to challenge the clichés surrounding Goa and to explore the disparity between expectations and reality through his narrative.
Surprisingly, despite his expansive career in cinema, outside his acting roles, Kunal has never indulged in reading the scripts of renowned movies, even those like Fight Club and The Matrix which ignited his inner cinephile. He admits his deliberative reading style stems from a desire to visualize scenes, which, for films he’s already watched, seems regressive.
Similarly, Kunal avoids delving into the source materials of his cherished films and series, instead choosing to observe and extract lessons from their crafted final forms.
Born into a Kashmiri Pandit family in Srinagar, Kunal’s earliest memories revolve around the iconic DD National series Gul Gulshan Gulfaam. His grandfather, Moti Lal Kemmu, was a celebrated playwright and theatre personality in Kashmir and won the prestigious Padma Shri. Despite the family’s migration to Mumbai during tumultuous times, Kunal admits to feeling overshadowed by his grandfather’s legacy, while also carrying deep pride in their shared heritage.
The ’90s proved to be a transformative period for Kunal, seeing him transition from a celebrated child actor to a burgeoning theatre artist, and eventually to a Bollywood actor making his adult debut. This journey included the influential film Kalyug, which embodied the zeitgeist of the time and resonated deeply with the youth.
Throughout over three decades on screen, Kunal has retained a perennial youthfulness in his roles, often epitomized in his depictions in comedies and as a relatable, approachable character. This nonchalant view of life and art seamlessly feeds into the essence of Madgaon Express.
Kunal acknowledges that while he may present himself differently in varying contexts, authenticity is core to his philosophy – anything contrary would be too exhaustive an endeavor.
As I wrapped up the interview, it was evident that Kunal Kemmu’s story – from a boy on houseboats in Srinagar to the multifaceted creator in Bollywood – is not just about film, but about the enduring spirit of youth and authenticity in an industry constantly in flux.
