Kunal Kemmu: Lucky to come when there is a dearth of comedies

As Madgaon Express wins wide praise for its humour, debutant director Kunal says he made film not to fill the void in the genre, but because it made him ‘happy’
Priyanka Sharma (MID-DAY; March 27, 2024)

Madgaon Express has turned out to be the comedy we didn’t know we needed. The buddy comedy, which stars Divyenndu, Pratik Gandhi and Avinash Tiwary, opened last week to unanimous praise from critics and audiences. And who’s grinning from ear to ear? Debutant director Kunal Kemmu. 

Tell him that the laugh riot has come at a time when Bollywood was witnessing a drought of well-made comedies, and he says,

“I would be speaking out of turn if I said that I wrote the film because comedies weren’t being made. The industry goes through fads. Right now, it’s action; tomorrow, horror might work. If Madgaon Express had released when there were four comedies behind me, people would say, ‘Why do we need one more?’ I am lucky to come at a time when there has been a dearth of comedies. I just wrote a film that made me happy. I would’ve made it whenever I got the opportunity. I’m happy that there has been an appetite for it because if I have cooked food, I want hungry people,” he laughs.

Even as the film that revolves around cocaine, crime and three clueless friends in Goa is being lapped up by the audience, the actor-turned-director has finished writing a couple of stories. It will only be a matter of time before he chooses which of them he wants to develop as his next.

Kemmu says, “Writing is a constant thing in my life. It is my therapy. I’ve written a couple of [stories] belonging to different genres; one of them is a comedy.”