Highly talented actor, Kunal Kumar, whose latest SAB TV show, Namune, has just gone on air, is quite unlike most TV stars of the day. “It is very easy to look rock solid post six months of intensive gyming, but as an actor, itis my job to look like my character.”
“Like here, I am playing aninsurance agent who is burdened by life; so obviously, he will not be the coolest dude around. I always make it a point to properlyunderstand my character’s back story. During shoots, I tell my makeup man not to show me the mirror, as I don’t want to bother about my looks. I never get the false images of TV.How can you look so good when you have just woken up?” says Kunal, who was first noticed in Great Indian Laughter Challenge and then in Guttur Gu.
“Think about it….had I had a chiseled jaw,would I have suited my aam aadmi character? I believe it is more important to merge into your character than have adistinct personality that overawes the character.My ideal actor is someone like Amol Palekar; a simple guy you can relate to. I also admire Nana Patekar for his rooted acting.”
So, who are the namune in your show?“Well, they are ordinary folk like your milk man and washer man, etc., whom you will not even notice. But they leave a big impression onmy character,teaching him not to take life too seriously.”
Here, Kunal adds, “We are not making fun of any particular character’s physicality.It’s just that thesituations around them are funny. To be honest, we all are namuna in our respective spheres.”
“I have personally come across one such guy in real life. My apartment’snight liftman is a father of 2, who earns just 8k, yet always has a smile on his face. The poor guy walks up and down half an hour to get towork. He is always in a good mood, even when you ask him about life.”
“I am very happy to be part of this project, for it involves the writings of the well-known Marathi author, P L Deshpande. Also, I am getting to rub shoulders with great co-stars like Sushant Singh and Deven Bhojani, who make episodic appearances.”
