Kunal Kemmu says his show Single Papa is not against women’s agency to have kids: ‘Doesn’t make either gender feel shortchanged’

Kunal, there are certain similarities between your character in Single Papa, Gaurav Gehlot, and Rocky Randhawa, another Delhi ka launda played by Ranveer Singh, in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani (2023), also co-written by Ishita Moitra. What would GG say to Rocky if they meet?

Kunal: That conversation would be written very well by Ishita Moitra! I do think there are similarities initially, but they end pretty soon. If you watch the trailer, you’d think he’s like that. Maybe the idea of masculinity that both of them have is similar, but the journeys they go on and the relationships they have with their parents are very different from each other.

I felt quite bad for Isha Talwar’s character, who plays Gaurav’s ex-wife, as she has to end her marriage because she wants kids and he doesn’t. Do you think somewhere, in its attempt to advocate fatherhood, it compromises on a woman’s agency to not have kids?

Kunal: It doesn’t do that at all. As the show progresses, you’ll see the conversation they have is very different. It’s a show in which the writers have been sensitive to everybody. It’s written by a woman and a man together, and they’re a couple themselves. So, before I defend them in any way, they’ve already encapsulated these emotions and conversations very beautifully in the show. I don’t think it’d make either gender feel shortchanged.

Ayesha: But then there’s me as a mother also na. There’s not just one kind of a mother. There’s also a mother who’s overly involved in her children’s lives, so you want to kill that mother. You want to tell her, “Nahi, aap chup hi rahiye.” So, there’s not just one person’s perspective of a mom. Both perspectives are there.

Prajakta, your character has to remove her bikini photos from her social media because her to-be in-laws don’t approve of that. Do you know women like that in real life?

Prajakta: Of course, yes, it’s most women. I’m very privileged that I get to say that’s not what I relate to in my life, but I know it’s a very regular thing for a lot of my friends, cousins, and even family members.

You also played the daughter of a dysfunctional family in your debut film, Jugjugg Jeeyo (2022). Did you have any deja vu?

Prajakta: I’m not really looking at it like that: Is the family dysfunctional enough for me to do this? It’s not that. Let’s be real. In some way or the other, there’ll be bits and pieces of the kalesh happening in this family happening in yours too, even if not exactly like that, which you’ll relate to. “Han, meri bhi mere bhai ke sath aisi ladaiyan hoti hain. Han, meri bhi mummy ne mujhe ek bar aise daant dia tha. Mere saas bhi mujhe ye bahut baar bolti hai.” So, there are always little things you hold on to. There’s friction and comedy, so it’s a bit exaggerated. So, I’m not really going for the dysfunctionality, but because it’s normal, relatable, funny, and slice-of-life.

Kunal Kemmu and Prajakta Koli in Single Papa.

Ayesha and Manoj, you’ve teamed up again after Zoya Akhtar’s Dil Dhadakne Do (2015), also a family drama. How was that experience like?

Ayesha: It was like a holiday. The day we had scenes to do, we felt very sad that we’d have to work.

Manoj: I didn’t even have that much work.

Ayesha: Yes, it was more of a holiday for us. We did very little work. But it was one of the best experiences. We had a lot of fun.

Your husband Kumud Mishra has also worked a lot with Manoj. How is their dynamic like?

Ayesha: Their dynamic is like nothing else on Earth. Anubhav Sinha works with them a lot, so he calls them the “badmash bachche” of his set. He can’t leave them alone on set because they’re always up to something. They had a scene in Article 15 (2019), where Kumud had to slap him. It was a big culmination of their relationship. Anubhav assumed both his actors would be prepping. But when he reached the set, he saw them playing cricket. So it’s all fun, work just happens on its own.

Kunal Kemmu, Manoj Pahwa, Ayesha Raza, and Prajakta Koli in Single Papa.

Coming back to Single Papa, Kunal, do you think there’s a biological clock for men, a right age to become father?

Kunal: For men, the biological clock continues pretty much till the time they’re alive. They can produce. The age is a mindset. Mentally, to each their own, but just know that when your kid is 10 or 15, when they will need you to play cricket or soccer or do physically exerting stuff, if you’re too old and aren’t able to give time to them, you’ll regret it more than your child would. So, just keep that in mind.

Ayesha, in your case, Kumud was 40 when your son Kabir was born. Was that a concern for him?

Ayesha: No, he didn’t know what was hitting him. We just met and got married. It was very quick. We dated for only eight months. I’m eight years younger than him. I was 31 and he was 39. I actually had to look him in the eye and say, “Mangta hai toh bolo.” He said we’d just met and gotten married. I said you’d tell me later that we did the right thing. So, we had Kabir within a year. By the time Kabir turned 12 or 13, he turned to me and said, “Thank you very much.” Because I’d told him whether you want children or not is a separate issue, but mangta hai toh bolo (laughs). We met late. Not that we dated for 10 years. So, now my son is 16. But Kumud has had the energy, physically and mentally, to see him through.

Neha, since the birth of your first child wasn’t planned, by the time you and Angad Bedi had your second, were you more comfortable with the idea of being parents?

Neha: Ya, for sure. We also had Guriq when I was 40. So, you’re older. Then there’s also so much talk around becoming a mum at 40. But we were very comfortable with the fact that okay, there’s one and now, there’s another one. But the second time, you know the beats. You know what to expect and be prepared for. Also, it was the lockdown. So, there was a lot of focused time and attention on our kids then. I’m not saying the timing was good, but we were around the kids a lot. So, that makes a big difference.

Prajakta, do you think your generation looks at parenthood differently?

Prajakta: As every generation does. I genuinely think this generation is a lot more conscious about that decision. I remember mumma and baba talking about this. My mother was 23 when she had me. When I was 23, there was no question. That wasn’t even a thought we were getting then. I’m speaking strictly from a metro side of things. That’s where I’ve grown up. At 23, most women do post-graduation now. That wasn’t the case 30 years ago. So obviously, this generation is a lot more aware of what they’re feeling and how to put their point across. They know how to ask for things. They can also decide if it’s something they want or not. For the longest time, that wasn’t even a question. If you got married, you’re bound to have kids. Now, it’s a choice.

Ayesha: And it’s important everybody should be given that respect as a couple that they can make the decision of whether they want children. There should be no judgement. It doesn’t make you a better or a worse person.

Also Read — Seema Pahwa believes it’s the right time for her and Manoj Pahwa to take couple’s therapy: ‘There is loneliness…’

Finally, Kunal, Mahesh Bhatt told me your performance as a child artist in his 1998 film Zakhm was one of the finest he’s ever seen. What do you feel you’ve gained or lost when you look back at that performance now?

Kunal: I haven’t seen those films in eons. I don’t watch a lot of my films again. But Zakhm was one of those films that is integral to my life, because it was then that I realiSed I wanted to pursue acting seriously. Before that, all the praise you got as a child actor was because “he’s so cute, he’s so sweet, whatever.” But Zakhm was the first time I saw a difference in opinion, in the way that it wasn’t about my age. It was about my performance. So, they respected me as an actor there.