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"I still see a potato like a potato and not carbohydrates" - Kunal Khemu 
By IndiaFM News Bureau, April 24, 2007 - 09:58 IST
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I'm looking forward to do a good work again in the future and yes life goes to certain ups and downs.
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Kunal Khemu, once well known as a child artist matured into a fine actor with Kalyug. But his actual fame to claim happened when he played the rustic street boy in Traffic Signal. After two serious roles, Kunal now tries his hands at comedy with Priyadarshan's Dhol. In an exclusive conversation to IndiaFM, he reveals his lighter side.
How is life after Traffic Signal?
It's pretty much the same. I think life goes on. I'm happy that people have liked my performance in the film and they have appreciated the film. I'm looking forward to do a good work again in the future and yes life goes to certain ups and downs. Luckily for me both my films have brought ups in my life.
Many felt that the ending was a bit abrupt. Do you agree?
See I believe in the fact that filmmaking is a director's medium unlike how theater is an actor's medium. I'm sure that the director had something in mind planned for the ending of the film. And as far as I'm concerned I wouldn't say that it is an abrupt ending because it was a realistic film. We didn't want to go to the extent of making it melodramatic or him going and killing somebody.
Madhur wanted to make it as realistic as possible and that's what he felt, that these people of the streets are actually helpless. They are not educated, they do not know there rights in the first place.
So they just go how they want to go. I think people must have expected something else because I think they had seen that image of me in Kalyug, this is the guy who goes against the world of pornography but again this wasn't that kind of a commercial film.
It was more on the realistic touch of how these people of the streets are. So if I see it as an audience may be yes, for one second even I will say, “Oh, it just ended”
But because we are associated with the film and we knew how it is going to be we thought that would be the proper end for the film.
Mohit Suri and Madhur - you are getting some good filmmakers at the beginning of your career. But still big banners are staying away. What do you think?
Well see I wouldn't know why. If I knew the reason for it I would rectify it or I would do something about it. But there are a couple of banners which are approaching me now and I'm bit tight lipped about it because I just want them to start. So that you know the ball gets rolling and that's when you talk about it. But I think that's how it is. It takes time for you to be established for them to see something in you.
It's like if I do software engineering it's not necessary that I get hired by IBM the next day or Microsoft will put me in the top ranks. But it takes time for them to see how good you are and what you are capable of and I'm happy as an actor. I'm getting to do the kind of films I want to do with the filmmakers that I want to work with.
So I'm in content as far as the big production houses are concerned sure they will come and they wouldn't want to miss out on me.
We heard that in Dholthere will be a lot of song and dance. This is not a side that we have seen of you so far. Do you like to dance?
Well yes, I think the first good surprise about Dhol is that it is comedy and that's something that people have always asked me that you have come in very intense, dark films why is it so? Is it personal choice?
I said no I'm experimenting with the different kinds of cinema and different kinds of films. And here is Dhol again the breather from the first two intense films and it has a lot of comedy in it. Yes there is a bit of song and dance. It's not like the hardcore dance but its more of a fun film and that s what we are doing. We are having fun in the songs also.
So yes I had lots of fun working on that film and it was a bit easier also because there is Sharman, Tushar, and Rajpal. So there was a light atmosphere on the sets. And because it's a comedy we keep on trying to improvise and we are laughing almost all the times.
Infact we finished the schedule really fast of the whole film and now I recently made them on a photo shoot and we were just discussing you know it just went by. I was like I don't even remember what I did in the film but it was great fun and I'm looking forward to Dhol
Tell us something about Dhol
There is no certain character that would say that this is my character in the film. Like in Signal I could say because he is somebody. I was playing a character. In Kalyug this guy has a back story.
But these are the guys who you will see in your life, they are normal college going kids. They are not kids actually. They are the people who have finished there studies and trying to apply for jobs, these guys who stay together and there is a whole suspense, under belly suspense to the film which is revealed through the film. It's a comedy of errors and how these guys in trying to good for people they end up screwing up themselves and the people too.
I think people will understand the film when they see it. I can't put it in one line and say this is what the film is about.
Priyadarshan speaks very less but in that you come to know what he wants.
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Is Priyadarshan getting the humourous side of you in Dhol?
Yes, he is. It's an honor and privilege to be working with Mr. Priyadarshan. I had a great time. It was actually a learning experience because I looked up to him as a teacher. The kind of professionalism he brings to the sets and the way he works is different from the kind of work that I've done before.
He is a very serious and sensible. He speaks very less but in that you come to know what he wants. Then you come to know that he is actually a very humorous person and his sense of humor is unbelievably good. I see it and say okay this is the vision.
So it was great fun working with him. I learnt a lot and I hope he is happy with what I have done in the film.
You are one of those few newcomers who got to do solo lead films in the start. Does it make you feel good?
Good. There is nothing to complaint in that and I am happy that people have trust in me and my audiences have been very generous to me. They have welcomed me back in the industry with open arms and appreciated me so much that there is a confidence in the distributors and the producers and the filmmakers to give those solo hero films.
It also adds to my confidence more and try to give my 100% so that I can do justice and I don't let them down in any way from my side atleast.
With Dhol you will finally share screen-space with Tusshar and Sharman Joshi. Dhol would have been quite an exciting experience?
Exactly as I said it was a breather for me also. Comedy is not something in which only one actor has to be a good actor. Everybody has to be good around you because it's all about give and take. Action and reaction. Only if I react to something he said in the proper way will that punch come out in a proper way and that will be humourous.
Sharman, Tusshar and Rajpal, all these people had done comedy before so I was the out of towner here. I think the last time I did comedy was in Hum Hai Rahi Pyaar Ke and I had no idea what I was doing.
But yes I never felt out of place, I never felt that was an uncharted territory for me and I am having a tough time. I think it was like a walk in the park and I really enjoyed the work.
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I think the last time I did comedy was in Hum Hai Rahi Pyaar Ke and I had no idea what I was doing.
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Was there a particular incident while shooting that you would like to talk about?
Well, there wasn't one such incident that we planned and we did it. As I said this is a comedy film and we would always improvise. So we were always laughing, coming out with some funny line or something that we did.
We all kept on doing weird stuff. We used to play a lot of cricket where we were shooting, if we got a break. I would have the entire kit in back of my car. Rajpal would have one and Rajpal is like a kid at heart. Before me he would be standing with his bat and he would call all the guys and in the lunch breaks we would play. One day Priyan sir also joined us.
We had lot of fun actually. It was like one big picnic.
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“I don’t have many options as most actresses are elder to me” – Kunal Khemu
