Kunal Khemu

Biography:

Born as Kunal Ravi Kemmu on May 25, 1983, Kunal Khemu is an Indian actor active in the Hindi film industry. He hails from a Kashmiri Pandit family with his parents being actors Ravi Kemmu and Jyoti Kemmu. Kunal is the elder child in the family and has a younger sister named Karishma Kemmu. His early years were spent in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, where he initially attended Burn Hall School. Due to the turmoil in Kashmir during the 1990s, the family later shifted to Jammu and eventually settled in Mumbai’s Mira Road area. He completed his schooling at N. L. Dalmia High School in Mira Road and pursued further studies at SVKM’s Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics in Vile Parle. Presently, he resides in Khar, Mumbai.

Kunal’s grandfather, Moti Lal Kemmu, a Kashmiri playwright, has received notable awards for his contributions to Kashmiri literature.

Kunal Khemu’s journey in the entertainment world began as a child actor with appearances in the Doordarshan TV series “Gul Gulshan Gulfaam” (1987) and Mahesh Bhatt’s film “Sir” (1993). He continued his acting as a child artist in various movies including “Raja Hindustani,” “Zakhm,” “Bhai,” “Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke,” and “Dushman.”

He took on the male lead role in the 2005 film “Kalyug,” directed by Mohit Suri, which revolved around the pornography industry. In 2007, he starred in Madhur Bhandarkar’s “Traffic Signal,” portraying a street-smart money lender. Kunal also played lead roles in films like “Blood Money” (2012) and “Go Goa Gone” (2013), both of which performed well at the box office.

After a hiatus, he returned with the thriller “Bhaag Johnny” (2015), followed by the comedy film “Guddu Ki Gun” the same year. Kunal gained attention for his voice role in the animated film “Hanuman: Da’ Damdaar” (2017) and reprised his role in the “Golmaal” film series. He garnered acclaim for his negative character in “Malang” and received critical praise for his role in “Kalank.”

Kunal Khemu also ventured into web series with ZEE5’s “Abhay,” where he played the main role of an investigating officer. The series gained popularity, leading to the release of “Abhay Season 2” in October 2020, and Kunal returned for the subsequent season as well.