Kunal Khemu Explained

Kunal Kemmu
Birth Name:Kunal Ravi Kemmu
Birth Date:25 May 1983
Birth Place:Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir, India
Education:N.L. Dalmia High School
Alma Mater:Narsee Monjee College
Yearsactive:1987–present
Occupation:Actor
Children:1

Kunal Kemmu (born Kunal Ravi Kemmu; 25 May 1983) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema.

Early life and background

Kunal Ravi Kemmu was born on 25 May, 1983 in Srinagar, in the Kashmir Valley of the erstwhile Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, into a Kashmiri Pandit family to actors Ravi Kemmu and Jyoti Kemmu.[1] He is the older child to the couple and has a younger sister named Karishma Kemmu. He stayed in Srinagar in early years and got initial education from Burn Hall School, but his family had to shift to Jammu during their religious exodus after the Islamist insurgency erupted in Kashmir during the 1990s. Later, his family stayed in the suburban Mumbai neighborhood of Mira Road. He finished his schooling from N. L. Dalmia High School in Mira Road; and later attended Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics in Vile Parle for his further studies. He now lives in Khar, Mumbai.

His grandfather, Moti Lal Kemmu (original spelling of last name) was a Kashmiri playwright and a recipient of several awards by the government of Jammu and Kashmir: Rashtra Bhasa Prachar Samiti, Sahitya Akademi award in 1982 for his contribution to Kashmiri literature as a playwright and Padma Shri.[2]

Career

Kunal made his debut as a child actor appearing in the Doordarshan TV series Gul Gulshan Gulfaam (1987), directed by Ved Rahi. He made his film debut with Mahesh Bhatt's film Sir (film) (1993). He went on to star as a child artist in films including Raja Hindustani, Zakhm, Bhai, Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke, and Dushman.

He played the lead in the 2005 film Kalyug, which was directed by Mohit Suri.[3] Kalyug was based on the pornography industry. In 2007, his first release was Madhur Bhandarkar's Traffic Signal, where he played a street-smart money lender who lends money to poor families, but always gets it back with interest.

His second release of 2007 was Dhol in which he again played lead. In 2008, in his only release, Superstar, he featured in a double role. In 2009, he starred in Dhoondte Reh Jaaoge and Jai Veeru. In 2009, he appeared in the comic-thriller 99. In 2010, he appeared in Golmaal 3 in which he played a supporting role as Laxman.

In 2012, he appeared in Mukesh Bhatt's Blood Money, in which played the lead role as Kunal Kadam, an honest and hard worker who is unknowingly taken into the dark side of Diamond Trade by his Boss. He co-starred in Go Goa Gone, a Zombie comedy film, which was released on 10 May 2013. Both the films fared well at the box office.

In 2015, after over a two-year break, Kunal returned to the screen with the thriller Bhaag Johnny about a man who gets to live two lives by the help of a Jinn, portrayed by director Vikram Bhatt. Though the film began shooting in 2013, it released on 25 September 2015 to mixed reviews and low box office collections. His second release of the same year was the comedy film Guddu Ki Gun, in which Kunal appears in the title role along with Sumeet Vyas. In 2017, he did a voice over in an animated film in role of Lord Indra. He also appeared in the fourth installment of Golmaal (film series) named Golmaal Again reprising his famous role of Laxman Sharma. He portrayed a noteworthy negative character in Malang and gained critical acclaim for his role in Kalank .[4]

Personal life

Khemu was in a relationship with actress Soha Ali Khan since May 2009.[5] [6] The couple got engaged in July 2014 and got married in a private ceremony in Mumbai on 25 January 2015 in the presence of selected members of Soha's Family. Through his marriage to Khan, he is related to the Pataudi family. On 29 September 2017, Khan gave birth to their daughter Inaaya Naumi Khemu.[7] [8]

Discography

!Song!Year!Album!Composer
"Babaji Ki Booti"2013Go Goa GoneSachin–Jigar
"Hum Yahin"2024Madgaon Express
Kunal Khemu
"Bohot Bhaari"Sharib-Toshi

Filmography

Films

YearTitleRoleNotes
1993 Sir Kunal
Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke Sunny
1994 Naaraaz Sunny
1996 Raja Hindustani Rajnikant
1997 Tamanna Young Sajid
Bhai Kisna
1998 Zakhm Young Ajay
Dushman Bheem Bahadur Singh
Angaaray Young Amar
2005 Kalyug Kunal P. Darr
2007 Traffic Signal Silsila
Dhol Gautam Sisodia (Goti)
2008 Superstar Kunal Mehra / Karan Saxena
2009Dhoondte Reh Jaaoge CA Anand Pawar
Jai Veeru Veeru / Veer Sharma
99 Sachin
2010 Golmaal 3 Laxman Sharma
2012 Blood Money Kunal Kadam
2013 Go Goa Gone Hardik Also written dialogues
2014 Mr Joe B. Carvalho Himself Cameo
HaircutHimself Short film; cameo
2015 Bhaag Johnny Janardhan "Johnny" Arora
Guddu Ki Gun Gowardhan "Guddu" Prasad
2017 Voice
Poster Boys Himself Cameo
Golmaal Again Laxman Sharma
2018 Simmba Himself Cameo
2019 Kalank Abdul Khan
2020 Malang Michael Rodriguez
Lootcase Nandan Kumar
2023 Kanjoos Makhichoos Jamuna Prasad Pandey
2024Madgaon ExpressDrug PeddlerCameo; also writer and director

Television

YearTitle RoleNotes
1987Gul Gulshan Gulfaam
1989Chitra KathaienEpisode: "Jhoot ka Aalam"
2010Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi 3ContestantReality show
2019–2022AbhaySP Abhay Pratap Singh3 seasons
2023Pop Kaun?Sahil6 episodes
Gulkanda Tales Post-production[9]

Awards and nominations

AwardYearCategoryNominated workResultRef.
Filmfare OTT Awards2023Best Actor: Comedy Pop Kaun?[10]
Screen Awards1998Best Child ArtistZakhm[11]
2014Best DialogueGo Goa Gone[12]
Best Performance in a Comic Role - Male
Stardust Awards2006Superstar of Tomorrow - MaleKalyug

Notes and References

  1. News: Kunal Khemu is sad that Srinagar in on news for bloodshed . . 3 March 2009 . 2 March 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120414010808/http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report_kunal-khemu-is-sad-that-srinagar-in-on-news-for-bloodshed_1235907 . 14 April 2012 . live .
  2. Web site: Kashmiri Playwrights . Ikashmir.net . 2015-07-13 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140714223826/http://ikashmir.net/mlkemmu/ . 14 July 2014 . live .
  3. Web site: Kunal Khemu: Child grows up. Subhash K Jha. 21 December 2005. Sify. 2015-07-13. https://web.archive.org/web/20141218124438/http://www.sify.com/movies/bollywood/fullstory.php?id=14054802. 18 December 2014. dead.
  4. Web site: Kunal Khemu does cameo in Mr Joe B. Carvalho | Bollywood News | Hindi Movies News | News . . 2013-12-12 . 2015-07-13 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131215040942/http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/2350109/Kunal-Khemu-does-cameo-in-Joe-B-Carvalho . 15 December 2013 . dead .
  5. Web site: Soha Ali khan: Living-in with Kunal Khemu is like being married. Movies.ndtv.com. 9 May 2013. 21 August 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130730120146/http://movies.ndtv.com/bollywood/soha-ali-khan-living-in-with-with-kunal-khemu-is-like-being-married-364904. 30 July 2013. live.
  6. Web site: Spotted: Soha Ali Khan with beau Kunal Khemu . Mid-day.com . 2013-10-08 . 2015-07-13.
  7. Web site: Soha Ali Khan, Kunal Khemu get engaged . The Hindu . 2014-07-24 . 2015-07-13 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191213143752/https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/soha-ali-khan-kunal-khemu-get-engaged/article6244848.ece?homepage=true&theme=true . 13 December 2019 . live .
  8. Web site: Soha Ali Khan Marries Kunal Khemu, Saif-Kareena Play Hosts - NDTV Movies . Movies.ndtv.com . 2015-01-25 . 2015-07-13 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150125185322/http://movies.ndtv.com/bollywood/soha-ali-khan-marries-kunal-khemu-saif-kareena-by-her-side-732740 . 25 January 2015 . live .
  9. Web site: India Today. 30 December 2023. Gulkanda Tales to Heeramandi: Web series you shouldn’t miss in 2024.
  10. Web site: Nominations for the Filmfare OTT Awards 2023: Full list out. November 22, 2023. November 23, 2023. en-In.
  11. Web site: Awards winner. 22 Oct 1999. https://web.archive.org/web/19991022044355/http://www.expressindia.com/screen/awards/eve.htm. 22 October 1999.
  12. Web site: Kunal Kemmu. . 25 March 2021.