Kunal Khemu
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Kunal Kemmu (born Kunal Ravi Kemmu; 25 May 1983) is an Indian
actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lit ...
who works in
Hindi cinema Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...
.


Early life and background

Kunal Ravi Kemmu was born in
Srinagar Srinagar (English: , ) is the largest city and the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It lies in the Kashmir Valley on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus, and Dal and Anchar lakes. The city is known for its ...
,
Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...
,
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...
on 25 May 1983 into a Kashmiri Pandit family to
actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lit ...
s Ravi Kemmu & Jyoti Kemmu. 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 “In Toil We Flourish” , city = Srinagar Jammu and KashmirIndia , coordinates = , type = Missionary , established = (originally in 1942) , founder = Fat ...
, but shifted to
Jammu Jammu is the winter capital of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is the headquarters and the largest city in Jammu district of the union territory. Lying on the banks of the river Tawi, the city of Jammu, with an area of ...
after the Insurgency in Kashmir during the 1990s for being a Kashmiri Hindu. Later, his family stayed in Mira Road area of
Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...
,
Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the second-most populous state in India and the second-most populous country subdi ...
. He finished his schooling from N. L. Dalmia High School in Mira Road; and later attended SVKM's
Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics (also known as NM College) is a premier college for commerce and economics affiliated to University of Mumbai. The college was established in 1964 by Shri Vile Parle Kelavani Mandal. It was award ...
in Vile Parle for his further studies. He now lives in Khar, Mumbai. His grandfather,
Moti Lal Kemmu Moti Lal Kemmu (born 1933) is an Indian contemporary playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; spor ...
(original spelling of last name) is a
Kashmiri Kashmiri may refer to: * People or things related to the Kashmir Valley or the broader region of Kashmir * Kashmiris, an ethnic group native to the Kashmir Valley * Kashmiri language, their language People with the name * Kashmiri Saikia Baruah ...
playwright and a recipient of several awards by the government of
Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...
: Rashtra Bhasa Prachar Samiti,
Sahitya Akademi The Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India. Founded on 12 March 1954, it is supported by, though independent of, the Indian government. Its of ...
award in 1982 for his contribution to Kashmiri literature as a playwright and
Padma Shri Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...
.


Personal life

Khemu was in a relationship with actress Soha Ali Khan Pataudi since May 2013. 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.


Career

Kunal made his debut as a child actor appearing in the
Doordarshan Doordarshan (abbreviated as DD; Hindi: , ) is an Indian public service broadcaster founded by the Government of India, owned by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and one of Prasar Bharati's two divisions. One of India's largest b ...
TV series ''
Gul Gulshan Gulfaam ''Gul Gulshan Gulfaam'' is a 1987 DD National television serial directed by Ved Rahi and produced by Prem Krishen (Cinevistaas). It was one of the first serials to be based in Kashmir and portray a Kashmiri family: It became an instant hit
'' (1987), directed by Ved Rahi. He made his film debut with
Mahesh Bhatt Mahesh Bhatt (born 20 September 1948) is an Indian film director, producer and screenwriter known for his works in Hindi cinema. A stand-out film from his earlier period is '' Saaransh'' (1984), screened at the 14th Moscow International Film F ...
's movie ''
Sir (film) Sir is a respectful form of address for a man, and a formal title used in the United Kingdom for knights and baronets. Sir, SIR or SiR may also refer to: Places Iran * Sir, Iran, a city in Fars Province * Sir, Razavi Khorasan, a village in Raz ...
'' (1993). He went on to star as a child artist in movies including ''
Raja Hindustani ''Raja Hindustani/Prema Bandham''(/ప్రేమ బంధం) is a 1996 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film directed by Dharmesh Darshan. It tells the story of a cab driver from a small town who falls in love with a rich young woman. A ...
'', '' Zakhm'', '' Bhai'', '' Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke'', ''and Dushman.'' He played the male lead in the 2005 film '' Kalyug'', which was directed by
Mohit Suri Mohit Suri is an Indian film director. Born into the Bhatt family, he is well known for directing the films '' Murder 2 '' (2011), the musical romance '' Aashiqui 2'' (2013) and the romantic thrillers ''Awarapan'' (2007), ''Ek Villain'' (2014) ...
. ''Kalyug'' was based on the
pornography Pornography (often shortened to porn or porno) is the portrayal of sexual subject matter for the exclusive purpose of sexual arousal. Primarily intended for adults,
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 ''Dhoondte Reh Jaoge'' ( en, You Will Keep on Searching) is a 2009 Indian comedy film directed by Umesh Shukla and produced by UTV Motion Pictures. The film stars Kunal Khemu, Paresh Rawal, Sonu Sood, Soha Ali Khan, Dilip Joshi and Johnny Leve ...
'' and ''
Jai Veeru ''Jai Veeru'' is a 2009 Indian Hindi-language action film directed by Puneet Sira, starring Fardeen Khan, Kunal Khemu, Anjana Sukhani, Dia Mirza and Arbaaz Khan. The film was released on 13 March 2009. Plot Veer "Veeru" Sharma is a small-time ...
''. In 2009, he appeared in the comic-thriller '' 99''. In 2010, he appeared in ''
Golmaal 3 ''Golmaal 3'' () is a 2010 Indian Hindi-language action comedy film directed by Rohit Shetty and the third film in the '' Golmaal series''. The film contains an ensemble cast starring Ajay Devgn, Arshad Warsi, Mithun Chakraborty, Kareena Kap ...
'' in which he played a supporting role as Laxman. In 2012, he appeared in Mukesh Bhatt's ''
Blood Money Blood money may refer to: * Blood money (restitution), money paid to the family of a murder victim Films * Blood Money (1917 film), ''Blood Money'' (1917 film), a film starring Harry Carey * Blood Money (1921 film), ''Blood Money'' (1921 film ...
'', in which played the lead role as Kunal Kadam, an honest and hard worker who is unknowingly taken into the dark side of
Diamond Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, b ...
Trade by his Boss. He co-starred in '' Go Goa Gone'', a
Zombie comedy The zombie comedy, often called zom com or zomedy, is a film genre that aims to blend zombie horror motifs with slapstick comedy as well as morbid humor. History The earliest roots of the genre can be found in Jean Yarbrough's ''King of the ...
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 Jinn ( ar, , ') – also romanized as djinn or anglicized as genies (with the broader meaning of spirit or demon, depending on sources) – are invisible creatures in early pre-Islamic Arabian religious systems and later in Islamic ...
, portrayed by director
Vikram Bhatt Vikram Bhatt (born 27 January 1969) is an Indian director, producer, screenwriter and actor. He is best known for directing the ''Raaz'' film series, an Indian horror series produced by Mahesh Bhatt and Mukesh Bhatt and for directing '' Ghula ...
. 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 '' Hanuman: Da' Damdaar'' in role of Lord
Indra Indra (; Sanskrit: इन्द्र) is the king of the devas (god-like deities) and Svarga (heaven) in Hindu mythology. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war.  volumes/ref> I ...
. 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 Malang (; ) is a landlocked city in the Indonesian province of East Java. It has a history dating back to the age of Singhasari Kingdom. It is the second most populous city in the province, with a population of 820,043 at the 2010 Census and ...
'' and gained critical acclaim for his role in ''
Kalank ''Kalank'' (; ) is a 2019 Indian Hindi-language period romantic drama film directed by Abhishek Varman and produced by Karan Johar, Hiroo Yash Johar and Apoorva Mehta under Dharma Productions and Sajid Nadiadwala under Nadiadwala Grandson Ente ...
'' .
ZEE5 ZEE5 is an Indian subscription video on-demand and over-the-top streaming service, run by Zee Entertainment Enterprises. It was launched in India on 14 February 2018 with content in 12 languages. The ZEE5 mobile app is available on Web, Andro ...
team will go on the release the Abhay Season 2 in September 2020 and the streaming will be in October 2020. Kunal Khemu playing main role in this web series. This series directed by Ken Ghosh. He will return as the investigating officer in Season 3 as well.


Filmography


Films


Web series


Television


Short Film


Awards and nominations


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Khemu, Kunal 1983 births Living people 20th-century Indian male actors Indian people Kashmiri people Kashmiri Hindus People from Srinagar Male actors in Hindi cinema Indian male film actors Indian Hindus Indian male child actors 21st-century Indian male actors Male actors from Jammu and Kashmir Kashmiri Pandits Indian people of Kashmiri descent