‘I have a very intense character in Kalank’: Kunal Kemmu

Kalank is close to Kunal Kemmu’s heart for more reasons than one. The actor, who has become synonymous with comedies over the last few years, will not only be seen in an intense avatar but is also part of a mammoth production, which has a star-studded cast comprising Sanjay Dutt, Madhuri Dixit, Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan, Sonakshi Sinha and Aditya Roy Kapur. He tells us more about the period drama. Excerpts…

What attracted you towards Kalank?

All of us know that Karan (Johar) wanted to make it since a long time. It was his dream and Abhishek Varman was entrusted with realising it. To be part of such a film is a huge honour. Also, the role that I am playing is interesting and quite different from what I have played before. I was happy that both, Karan and Abhishek, felt that I could portray it.

From the trailer, it seems that you are playing a negative character...

Whether he is positive or negative is something that you will see in the film. It would be a cliché to say there are more shades to him than what is seen in the trailer. But it’s an exciting part and I’m interested to see how people react to it. 

The movie is quite different as it’s set in the pre-Partition era and deals with love, a family’s legacy, and also about the Hindu-Muslim divide. What are your thoughts?

The tension that you see on screen between the characters is not driven as much by the Hindu-Muslim divide as it is due to other factors. It does kind of pit them against each other briefly but we haven’t really gone in depth into it.

Varun and you share a great rapport, which was visible at the trailer launch…

It was great working with him. He is one of those agony aunts who listens to you patiently and with whom you can talk about anything. He is a lot of fun to be around. Varun is also one of the most hard-working actors I have ever met. We were shooting a scene in Kargil. It was extremely cold and he was supposed to go shirtless for it. I also had to suffer as I was only wearing a kurta, but he didn’t give up until he was happy with the take.

What did you discover about yourself as an artiste?

It was nice to get into the skin of the character. I was doing comedies since the past few years. So, it was interesting to approach a scene in a different way after a long time. Abhishek is a fantastic director. To work with everybody, balance it out and still get what he wants is truly commendable.

Any learnings after working with KJo, who is a visionary?

He is honest towards his work. He completely trusts the people that he works with. He lets them handle things independently. Even though the film was his baby, once Abhishek came on board, he gave everybody a free hand.

Fox Star Studios presents Kalank, A Dharma Productions & Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment film. Produced by Karan Johar, Sajid Nadiadwala, Hiroo Yash Johar and Apoorva Mehta, it is co-produced by Fox Star Studios and releases on April 17.