Kunal Kemmu on navigating loneliness, stress in career: ‘Acting is a tough job, comes with a lot of insecurity’

In an interview with indianexpress.com, Kunal opened up about his career, making tough choices, breaking free from comedy stereotype and how he deals with challenging times when anxiety related to his profession hits its peak.

Edited excerpts:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by ZEE5 (@zee5)

You are known for comedies today, but you started your career with more intense movies.

Back then nobody was approaching me for comedies. As you get typecast really fast, the intense, dramatic roles were coming to me. When I said I want to do comedies, they thought I had lost the plot. Comedy is a serious business, so to make a film with someone who hasn’t done a comedy film was difficult. I love Priyadarshan so when I learnt he was making the film (Dhol), I thought I had to be a part of the film. But I was told not to do it as the film had four heroes in it and you have done only solo films.

Maybe it came from a space of how one should protect their career, but I came from theatre, so I believed that in a good scene even if you are standing back and do a good job, you will be recognised. That’s how the fact that I could do comedy was discovered in Dhol and then again, I was quickly typecast. I am happy doing comedies, it is a palatable genre, but every now and then I want to take a break from it as I don’t want to get monotonous doing the same thing.

There has been a mix and match of genres, from a Kalank to a Lootcase, in the recent past. Is that conscious?

Strategies can’t work. As an actor you have to wait for opportunities to come your way, for people to believe in you, for that project to be put together in the right way and then to be made in the right way, promoted in the right way. I honestly have been choosing from the opportunities coming my way. Kalank and Malang were my attempts to do something other than comedy and then again, Lootcase was pure instinct. Sometimes it may not make sense, like Dhol may not make business sense, but instinct overrules everything in my book.

But it must be tough to follow your heart in an industry where you are constantly told what to do, what not to do.

Just being in the industry is a very tough job especially an actor, because you are constantly looking for validation. First from the makers, audience, box office, critics, and now OTT.  You are constantly in (it) and sometimes it gets really lonely, stressful. Advice will keep coming but sometimes it is beyond that, when you think, ‘Am I doing something wrong, why did it not work?’ Self-doubt comes in. You have to fight through all of that. Each one has their own journey. I have tried to follow certain advice and it is not presented as an ‘advice’ but as, ‘Maybe you should do this, do that, hire a PR.’ I have been here long enough to realise that actually none of this really works. That may have worked for somebody else but it’s not my journey. What you bring to the table will take you through.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Kunal Kemmu (@kunalkemmu)

Was there a phase when this self-doubt, anxiety was at its peak?

Yes. These are phases that keep coming and going. You think, ‘Oh this is an all-time high’ and then it happens again and you’re like, ‘Oh this is!’ You also mature and evolve after you go through this feeling. What’s important is to recognise that you are going through this. When you live in denial, that’s when the trouble starts. Be aware of it, go through it. We go through happiness, sometimes we have to go through stress and sadness. It is tough, but make sure you have good the right family and friends around you. You will get through it, eventually.

You started as a child actor then as an adult actor made your debut in 2005. That’ll be two decades of you in the industry. Do you have a perspective when you look back?

I don’t because I will get scared when I look back! I do feel blessed because I enjoy doing this. Even though it comes with a lot of waiting, anxiety, stress, insecurity, it also comes with a lot of happiness, gratification. I chose this. I am thankful I am here today, talking about yet another new film. If people still see me as an underrated actor, I still have upwards to go.

A lot of people do feel you have been under utilised.

I would imagine every actor feels that way, me included. I often get asked, ‘Why don’t we see more of you in films?’ My answer is, if I had more of those films coming my way, which I think I could do justice to, I would have done those. There has been a lack of opportunities in the space that I would like to (do), but that’s my journey.