After making a mark with his solid portrayal of Aslam in Rang De Basanti, Kunal Kapoor has proved his mettle time and again with films like Aaja Nachle, Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana and Gold. He has even ventured down south and won hearts with his anti-hero lead in Malayalam film Veeram.
Kunal says that he is drawn towards films that not only entertain but also give the audiences something to think about. “For me, the best kind of film is one that not only entertains and engages you, which is what a film is supposed to do, but also a film that educates you. If you can sort of amalgamate education, engagement, entertainment and getting people to think, for me, that’s the best kind of film.”
This thought reflects in the kind of films Kunal takes up, from Dear Zindagi to Raag Desh. “As an individual I’m drawn towards causes and I have a very strong point of view on things. Which is why I’m drawn towards films that are trying to say something or are talking about something important. Subconsciously I find scripts that that have a strong point of view very interesting,” he adds.
Kunal is also venturing into writing and directing films. “I’ve been writing for a while now. I’ve finished a script, which hopefully goes into production this year, and which I hope to produce as well.”
Ask him what kind of films he is writing, and Kunal says, “I grew on very entertaining commercial films. And those are the spaces that I really enjoy. But like I was saying earlier, I’m drawn towards films which have something important to say.”
Kunal will next be seen in a film called Koi Jaane Na, which he says has all the elements of a commercial film. “The film has a lot of romance in it. It’s got stuff that I’ve never done before. A lot of action as well. So I’m very excited.”
Kunal is also excited to have forayed down south, saying that the roles he is offered there are different from the brackets Bollywood puts him into. In 2017, he starred in Malayalam film Veeram, which was an adaptation of Shakespeare’s play Macbeth.
“Veeram came at a time when I was being offered the same stuff in Bollywood, which is the good guy. Then suddenly I had the chance to play Macbeth, which is the anti-hero. I’d love to do more content down south because the movies there are fantastic. But I don’t want to end up playing the typical Hindi movie actor who plays the villain down there – there’s this slot of the actor from Hindi movies who plays villains in south films. Nothing wrong with that, but I would like to play something which is more character-driven,” says Kunal.
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Source: News18