| Kunal Khemu | |
|---|---|
Kunal Khemu at Kung Fu Panda 2 Première |
|
| Born | 6 July 1983 Srinagar, India |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1987–1998, 2005–present |
Kunal Khemu (Kashmiri: कुणाल शरीक खेमू (Devanagari), کنال شرِک کھیمو (Nastaleeq)) is an Indian actor working in the Hindi cinema. He made his screen debut as lead in December 2005, with Kalyug.
Contents |
Kunal Khemu was born on July 6, 1983 in Srinagar, India[1] to actors Ravi, and Jyoti Khemu and did his schooling in Mumbai. He pursued his studies at Narsee Monjee College.[2][3][4]
Kunal Khemu started his career as a child actor appearing in the Doordarshan TV series Gul Gulshan Gulfaam (1987), directed by Ved Rahi. He made his film debut with Mahesh Bhatt's movie Sir (1993), starring Naseeruddin Shah and Pooja Bhatt. He went on to star as a child artist in many movies such as Raja Hindustani, Zakhm,Bhai and Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke.
As an adult, he appeared in his debut film Kalyug (2005), which was directed by Mohit Suri and produced by Mukesh Bhatt and Mahesh Bhatt.[5][6] Kalyug was based on the Pornography industry, and the film was a box office success. In 2007, his first release was Madhur Bhandarkar's Traffic Signal, where he played a streetman who lends money to poor families, but always gets it back with interest. Traffic Signal was also a huge box office success, making it Khemu's second hit. His second release, Dhol was also a moderate success at the box office, and Kunal Khemu started to rise to fame throughout mid-2007.
His only 2008 release, Superstar in which he featured in a double-role, was a critical and commercial failure, though Khemu's performance was very well praised. In 2009, he starred in Dhoondte Reh Jaaoge and Jai Veeru, which were both average grossers at the box office. He also appeared in the comic-thriller, 99 opposite his real-life girlfriend Soha Ali Khan. His latest film is Golmaal 3, which was an box office blockbuster worldwide.
He is currently working once again with Mukesh Bhatt and Mahesh Bhatt for his next project titled Blood Money, which is expected to release on 23 March, 2012.
Kunal is in a relationship with Soha Ali Khan.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke | Sunny | Child-Artist |
| Sir | Kunal | Child-Artist | |
| 1995 | Aazmayish | Young Raja | Child-Artist |
| 1996 | Raja Hindustani | Rajnikant | Child-Artist |
| 1997 | Bhai | Krishna | Child-Artist |
| 1998 | Zakhm | Young Ajay | Child-Artist |
| Angaaray | Young Amar | Child-Artist | |
| Dushman | Bhim | Child-Artist | |
| Tamanna | Young Sajid Khan | Child-Artist | |
| 2005 | Kalyug | Kunal Dharr | Original Debut |
| 2007 | Traffic Signal | Silsila | |
| Dhol | Gautam "Goti" Sesodia | ||
| Superstar | Kunal Mehra / Karan Saxena | Double-role | |
| 2009 | Dhoondte Reh Jaaoge | Anand Pawar | Nominated, Filmfare Award for Comedian |
| Jai Veeru | Veeru | ||
| 99 | Sachin | ||
| 2010 | Golmaal 3 | Laxman | |
| 2012 | Go Goa Gone | Filming | |
| Blood Money | To Go On Floor |