Seeking Stardom

However,the 29-year-old hopes for his stock to finally rise with his upcoming release Go Goa Gone — a zombie comedy directed by Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK. “Films like these are offered to you once in a lifetime. There are very few directors who think out of the box and also dare to explore a genre like a zombie comedy. As an actor,you can only be grateful that you are part of a unique project like this,” says Khemu,who has also worked with the director duo in their crime comedy,99.

In the film,Khemu,along with Anand Tiwary and Vir Das,is a part of the gang who goes for a holiday to Goa. It is on vacation that they encounter zombies,and then Saif Ali Khan,who plays the zombie killer,comes to their rescue. “The camaraderie between Anand,Vir and me was very important because the entire movie revolves around it,” says Khemu. However,when the three first met,they did not really know each other. The bond formed during the course of the shoot. By the time the filming ended,they had become close buddies.

Khemu’s first brush with acting happened in 1987,when his parents Ravi and Jyoti were a part of the television serial Gul Gulshan Gulfaam. Khemu,too,was offered a small role in the show. “As a child,I was really excited to do it. The thought of seeing oneself on camera overpowered everything else,” he says.

One thing led to another,and he was soon cast in several Hindi films. His face became a popular one and filmmakers were keen to cash in on his effervescence. Mahesh Bhatt,who was making Zakhm,saw a more sensitive side to him and cast him as a child born out of wedlock to a Muslim woman and Hindu filmmaker. It was during the filming of this movie that he realised his passion for acting. “By then,I had understood that the camera gives you a chance to be someone you are not. I had started enjoying this process,” he says.

Over the years,the passion has grown manifold,but hasn’t manifested into the stardom he is hoping to achieve. Khemu is yet to find that one film which will define his career in Bollywood. “I am one of those people who has never seen any film of mine and said,‘wah kya shot diya hai. I am my biggest critic,” he says. “But I am happy,as long as I see the person behind the monitor smiling,once I have given the shot,” he adds.