Kunal Kemmu recalls being told child actors don’t work in Bollywood during ‘Kalyug’ debut’

Mumbai, June 27 (IANS) Actor Kunal Kemmu looked back at the challenges he faced while transitioning from a successful child artiste to a leading hero in Bollywood.

The actor revealed that he was once told that child actors could never make it big or even land successfully, right when he made his debut with ‘Kalyug’.

Speaking candidly with IANS, Kunal shared that he was subjected to stereotypes even before getting a fair chance as a lead actor.

‘I feel that sometimes we come to judge too early. This same question was asked to me when ‘Kalyug’ was released, that child actors never become successful lead heroes. And I said, “This is a very wrong thing that you said. I haven’t even started yet.”‘

The actor went on to speak about how people are often quick to label every setback as the ‘curse’ of being a child actor, the moment a movie of a child star flops.

‘Then your film goes on. Then you see a downfall or a down curve. That’s when you start asking yourself, “Is this now it?” And many people will jump to that thing and say that this is the curse of being a child actor. But I always feel that how can we say with the first success that I have won the world? And on the first failure, we can’t believe that everything is over because life is long.’

Kunal added that he now views life like a film unfolding in different acts rather than judging it through isolated successes or failures.

‘Sometimes we say romantically that life is very short. But life is actually quite long. So let it run like a movie, first act, second act, third act, fourth act. So many people now say that Kunal is running 2.0. I said, okay, my second act of life has started. But I’m not taking it very seriously. I am in fact very grateful. Right now, I have the light. People want to see what I can do, so I’m trying to show what I have. How long will this light last? I don’t know. So I just see it a day at a time and I feel very thankful for being able to do what I love.’

For the uninitiated, Kunal Kemmu began his career as a child actor with films such as ‘Sir’, ‘Raja Hindustani’, ‘Zakhm’, ‘Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke’ and ‘Dushman’, before making his debut as a leading man with Mohit Suri’s 2005 thriller ‘Kalyug’.

Over the years, he has featured in films including ‘Golmaal 3’, ‘Go Goa Gone’, ‘Malang’, ‘Lootcase’ and ‘Kalank’.

Apart from acting, Kunal made his directorial debut with ‘Madgaon Express’, which was widely appreciated by both audiences and critics. He is currently hosting the reality show ‘Alliance, marking another milestone in his evolving career.

–IANS

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