Kunal Khemu (born 25 May 1983) is an Indian actor who works in
Hindi cinema
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...
.
Early life and background
Kunal Khemu was born on 25 May 1983 in
Srinagar
Srinagar (; ) is a city in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the tertiary ...
, in the
Kashmir Valley
The Kashmir Valley, also known as the Vale of Kashmir, is an intermontane valley in northern Jammu and Kashmir, a region in Indian-administered Kashmir.(a) (subscription required) Quote: "Kashmir, region of the northwestern Indian subcont ...
of the erstwhile
Indian state
India is a federal union comprising 28 states and 8 union territories, for a total of 36 subnational entities. The states and union territories are further subdivided into 800 districts and smaller administrative divisions by the respe ...
of
Jammu and Kashmir,
into a
Kashmiri Pandit
The Kashmiri Pandits (also known as Kashmiri Brahmins) are a group of Kashmiri Hindus and a part of the larger Saraswat Brahmin community of India. They belong to the Pancha Gauda Brahmin group from the Kashmir Valley, located within the In ...
family to actors Ravi Kemmu and Jyoti Kemmu. He is the older child to the couple and has a younger sister named Karishma Khemu.
Khemu's family lived in Srinagar during his early years and he got initial education from
Burn Hall School, but his family had to shift to
Jammu
Jammu () is a city in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute ...
during their
religious exodus after an
Islamist insurgency erupted in Kashmir during the 1990s. Later, his family stayed in the suburban
Mira Road neighbourhood of
Mumbai
Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
. 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
Vile Parle (, also known as Parla), is a suburb and also the name of the railway station in the Western suburb of Mumbai
Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state o ...
for his further studies. He now lives in
Khar.
His paternal grandfather,
Moti Lal Kemmu was a Kashmiri playwright, and a recipient of the
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 off ...
award in 1982 for his contribution to Kashmiri literature, and the
Padma Shri
The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...
.
Career
Khemu made his debut as a child actor appearing in the
Doordarshan
Doordarshan (), abbreviated as DD, is India's State-owned enterprise, state-owned public broadcasting, public television broadcaster. Established by the Government of India on 15 September 1959, it is owned by the Ministry of Information and B ...
TV series ''
Gul Gulshan Gulfaam'' (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. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Mahesh Bhatt, a number of accolades, including four Nati ...
'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.
''Kalyug'' was based on the
pornography
Pornography (colloquially called porn or porno) is Sexual suggestiveness, sexually suggestive material, such as a picture, video, text, or audio, intended for sexual arousal. Made for consumption by adults, pornographic depictions have evolv ...
industry. In 2007, his first release was
Madhur Bhandarkar
Madhur Bhandarkar (born 26 August 1968) is an Indian film director, script writer, and producer. In 2016, Bhandarkar was honoured with the Padma Shri, the Indian honours system, fourth highest civilian honour, by the Government of India.
He i ...
's ''
Traffic Signal
Traffic lights, traffic signals, or stoplights – also known as robots in South Africa, Zambia, and Namibia – are signaling devices positioned at intersection (road), road intersections, pedestrian crossings, and other locations in order t ...
'', 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
Dhol () can refer to any one of a number of similar types of double-headed drum widely used, with regional variations, throughout the Indian subcontinent. Its range of distribution in Indian subcontinent primarily includes northern areas such ...
'' in which he again played lead. In 2008, in his only release, ''
Superstar
A superstar is someone who has great popular appeal and is widely known, prominent, or successful in their field. Celebrities referred to as "superstars" may include individuals who work as actors, musicians, athletes, and other media-based profe ...
'', 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
Diamond is a Allotropes of carbon, solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Diamond is tasteless, odourless, strong, brittle solid, colourless in pure form, a poor conductor of e ...
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, he 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 or djinn (), alternatively genies, are supernatural beings in pre-Islamic Arabian religion and Islam.
Their existence is generally defined as parallel to humans, as they have free will, are accountable for their deeds, and can be either ...
, 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 he 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 (; ) is the Hindu god of weather, considered the king of the Deva (Hinduism), Devas and Svarga in Hinduism. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes
Indra is the m ...
. He also appeared in the fourth instalment of ''
Golmaal (film series)'' named ''
Golmaal Again'' reprising his famous role of Laxman Sharma. He portrayed a noteworthy negative character in ''
Malang
Malang (; , ), historically known as Tumapel, is an inland List of regencies and cities of Indonesia, city in the Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province of East Java. It has a history dating back to the age of the Singhasari, Singhasari K ...
'' and gained critical acclaim for his role in ''
Kalank'' .
Personal life

Khemu was in a relationship with actress
Soha Ali Khan since May 2009. 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.
Discography
Filmography
Films
Television
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Khemu, Kunal
1983 births
Living people
20th-century Indian male actors
Kashmiri people
Kashmiri Pandits
Kashmiri actors
Male actors from Srinagar
Male actors in Hindi cinema
Indian male film actors
Indian Hindus
Indian male child actors
21st-century Indian male actors
Tagore family