In 2004, Kunal Kapoor debuted with Meenaxi: A Tale of Three Cities, after which he went on to do a prominent and probably one of his most memorable roles in Rang De Basanti. It’s been two decades since the actor started his journey as an actor. Talking about falling in love with cinema, he shares, “At the core, I believe I am a storyteller, and for me, this is the best place to be.”

Elaborating on his decision to pursue a career in show business, Kunal says, “I discovered movies by chance after doing many things in my life. I became an assistant director (assisted director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra on Aks), and once I was on a set, I felt this was the most magical place.”

“It was the most exciting place to be – whether as an actor or a storyteller. But it’s also a place with its own set of challenges. There have been ups and downs, there have been very exciting times, and then, there have been frustrating times. But when you’re in a place you love, you take everything in your stride and move on,” says Kunal.

In his 20-year-long career, Kunal has never really spoken about the ups and downs he has faced. He says, “Sometimes you don’t get the kind of work you’re looking for. You’ve to wait for it, and that can be a bit frustrating. It’s like being part of a football match; everyone’s playing the match, and you’re sitting on the bench waiting for your chance to get in.”

He further adds, “For the longest time, I was offered the role of either a poet or a terrorist. Those were the two kinds of roles that constantly came to me. As an individual, you know there’s so much more you can do and explore.”

Kunal hints at the lack of lucrative acting gigs as the reason for concentrating on writing and production. The actor, who was seen in the web show The Empire, explains, “At one point, I realised I wasn’t getting the kind of work I wanted. Instead of waiting, I decided to create the work that I wanted to be a part of. It pushed me in the direction of writing. Today, I am working on six scripts with different writers and also acting in four projects. I feel I have probably entered the best phase of my career now.”

Over the years, the syntax of movies and storytelling has changed, which Kunal believes is the best thing to have happened. “When I started out, there were certain kinds of movies that would be made, and the hero was expected to be of a certain kind. You had to fit into a mould, which I didn’t. There were certain expectations about the kind of films that you had to do. And I didn’t enjoy those films. Fortunately, what’s happened is that the mould has changed now, and different kinds of characters are being written, and different stories are being made. That’s the kind of space I enjoy,” he says.

Kunal believes that the quintessential Hindi movie hero has also evolved along with our movies. “Today, the audience accepts all kinds of heroes. You have characters like Shahid Kapoor in Kabir Singh and Ranbir Kapoor in Animal. These characters wouldn’t have worked maybe 10-12 years ago because people expected heroes to be a certain way. The more we stretch that mould, the better it is for everybody,” he signs off.