Kunal Kemmu: Looking at the big picture, not yourself
Kunal Kemmu’s 30-year acting career has witnessed several transitions. He went from being a successful child actor, to becoming the leading man, and finally foraying into digital entertainment with Abhay. His next step — turning director. The actor’s maiden directorial venture, Madgaon Express, is said to be a comedy drama starring Pratik Gandhi, Divyenndu, Avinash Tiwary and Nora Fatehi. Asked about the experience of switching to writing and direction, the Go Goa Gone actor says he is too closely involved with the project to reflect on it objectively. “I haven’t finished the film yet; it is in post-production. I want to cherish this experience right now because it feels so good,” he smiles.
The actor-turned-director, however, shares that going from in front of the camera to behind it entails one significant change — letting go of vanity. Elaborating on his point, Kemmu says, “It’s different from being in front of the camera because the vanity is out [of the picture]. As a director, you are concentrating on
the frame, your actors and everything else. You are no longer going to your van, getting ready and checking in the mirror how you are looking. There is also more pressure when you go behind the camera, which I slowly got adjusted to.”
