Kunal Kemmu has been part of the film business ever since he was a kid. And projects like Golmaal franchise, Kalank (2019) and most recently, Malang and Lootcase (both 2020) have allowed him to showcase his diversity. The actor sums up his 15 years of professional journey by saying, “Roller coaster is a good way of putting it. I am an adrenaline junkie. There have been a lot of ups, downs and learnings. There are beautiful sides to this industry which not everybody knows.”

The 37-year-old remembers his lowest point so far. “I felt really hollow around 2008-2009. I felt there were things bigger than me, I didn’t know how I would deal to tackle them, or even equipped to deal with them, I felt alone. All of us go through it. I worked really hard,” says the actor who starred in web series Abhay.

The actor says that he did get “a lot of affection”, but it didn’t translate into big-budget projects. “I was a theatre boy, who said it doesn’t matter how big or small a part is, I just believe in the script. I think I was also a bit naïve, and felt I have all the learnings. I did try and learn on the job, as opposed to being prepared for it. Kalyug (2005), Traffic Signal (2007) did really well, Dhol (2007) was a box office success, but Superstar (2008) was my first flop. I don’t think the fact that it didn’t do well hit me as hard as what came after that, and how things changed for me. In the industry, everything depends on the box office success that you have had,” explains Kemmu.

Experiencing a vacuum, where the very same people who flocked around you in good times disappear when there’s a lull, is what Kemmu adds is true. He says, “To a certain extent, depending on who you are, what support system you have in life. I really believe school mein muhaware sikhate the, you find a place and time for them to fit. One of those beautiful things I have heard time and again here is ‘ugte suraj ko sab salaam karte hain’. If something is selling well, everyone wants to be associated with that, it’s a business at the end of the day. These are all tough learnings.”