Guwahati: Kunal Ravi Kemmu, better known as Kunal Khemu, began his career as a child artiste. He debuted in the television series Gul Gulshan Gulfam (1987) and has since appeared in over 20 films. Of late, he plays the lead role in the ongoing web series Abhay. On the occasion of his 38th birthday, we take a look at some of his best film roles.
Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke (1993)
The memorable rom-com had Kunal playing the youngest kid out of the mischievous trio who live with their uncle, Rahul (Aamir Khan). Kunal, along with the other child actors – Sharokh Bharucha and Ashrafa, join forces to help Juhi Chawla’s Vyjayanti after she flees her home.
Raja Hindustani (1996)
Kunal played a kid named Rajnikant. He was the cleaner of the taxi that Aamir Khan drove, and also his sidekick. His sharp tongue and street-smart role added to the fun during the film’s Palankhet sequences when Karisma Kapoor arrives to visit the place for personal reasons.
Bhai (1997)
Kunal played Suniel Shetty’s (Kundan) onscreen brother Kisna who gets killed by a don (Ashish Vidyarthi) after he witnesses a murder. Kisna’s death become the trigger point for Kundan to take revenge.
Zakhm (1998)
The award-winning film had Kunal playing the younger self of Ajay Devgn. He appears in flashbacks when Ajay recalls the hardships his Muslim mother (Pooja Bhatt) had to go through after she fell in love with a Hindu film director (Nagarjuna). Kunal won awards for this film.
KALYUG (2005)
Khemu secured his first lead role in this Mohit Suri film about the devastating effects of the pornography industry and forced prostitution on people. Khemu plays a simpleton, who marries the girl his late father promised to take care of. Their lives are changed forever when their intimate moments are recorded with their permission and shared online through a pornographic website.
TRAFFIC SIGNAL (2007)
In this National Award-winning film from Madhur Bhandarkar, Kunal Khemu plays Silila, a man who manages several beggars, prostitutes, eunuchs, and roadside vendors who make their living near a traffic signal. The film showcases the inner lives of such people and the criminal overlords who control their lives.
GOLMAAL 3 (2010)
Khemu plays Laxman Singh Ghai, the brother of the characters Madhav and Lucky, played by Arshad Wars and Tusshar Kapoor, in this slapstick comedy by Rohit Shetty. He acts as the official interpreter of Tushar Kapoor’s mute character and has a penchant for speaking poetically.
GO GOA GONE (2013)
This Raj and D.K. film is the first zombie film in the country. Khemu plays Hardik, a man who travels to Goa with his friend Luv (Vir Das) and Bunny (Anand Tiwari) after losing his job. They eventually find themselves amid a zombie apocalypse. The film has an anti-drugs message.
Of late, he plays the lead role in the ongoing web series Abhay.
