Kunal Kemmu says he was in awe of Sharmila Tagore, Kareena Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan initially: ‘They are great people to know’

Kunal Kemmu‘s family has always been the centre of attraction. Be it his wife Soha Ali Khan and his daughter Inaaya Naumi Kemmu or his in-laws Sharmila Tagore, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Saif Ali Khan, they have never failed to grab headlines. For a layman, getting star-struck in the presence of such people is quite normal. But Kunal revealed that initially, even he was in awe of these personalities.
In a conversation with , Kunal spoke about how he felt “different” and saw Sharmila Tagore, Kareena and Saif just as actors. Recalling his initial days of being in the presence of Sharmila, Kareena and Saif, Kunal said, “It was so different, even for me. We only see actors as actors. It is very tough for us to completely understand that behind the actor, there is a person as normal as you and me.”
“Even for me, a legend like Sharmila Tagore or superstars like Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan were actors. So, when I met them for the first time, I was also from the same mindset. Once you know them as people, they are just normal. Connections become more with the person. But having said that, it’s been lovely to know them as people. They are great to know,” he continued.

Kunal said whenever he meets Saif or Kareena, work is the last thing they talk about. “We generally catch up on life,” he said. When asked if he discusses work with Soha, Kunal stated that his and Soha’s professional lives are “completely independent,” but they often share about the roles offered to them.
“Our professional lives are different and completely independent, but when I am excited about a project, I tell her about it. I like to know her thoughts on it. But it goes without saying that never have we ever tried to force our opinions on each other,” he replied.
Kunal and Soha got married in 2015. The two have a daughter, named Inaaya Naumi Kemmu. Talking about her, Kunal said that while she doesn’t understand his work, she once reacted to Abhay 2’s poster.
“I don’t know how much she understands the jobs but she knows we are actors. She has visited our sets a couple of times and tried to understand why we are looking a certain way. I remember once she could see Abhay 2’s poster from our house. She was very excited to see me on it. I remember Soha telling me that she asked, ‘See papa’s photo, but why is it in such a big place?’ She also asked why I looked so angry in it. So, Soha made her understand, ‘Because he is playing a policeman and fights bad people,’” Kunal smiled as he recalled.
But has Inaaya watched any of his work? “TV time is new concept for her. She is happy watching Peppa Pig and Daniel Tiger right now,” Kunal replied.

When asked if Kunal has an aim to create a body of work that Inaaya can watch as and when she grows up, Kunal said, “I have done that right. I have Golmaal, which she can watch. I have Hum Hai Rahi Pyaar Ke too.” He added, “I am one of those few people who can give her something she can watch at different stages of her life.”
“To be honest, I am not consciously trying to do something that she can watch because right now, she doesn’t have screen time. And I know that there is enough of content for her to watch that has me as an actor. Right now, my focus is to satiate my want to be an actor. So, I want to do different stuff. I want to put myself in a category where the makers are not only thinking of me as an actor who can pull off a certain genre but someone he/she can trust with any sort of subject, which is why I am making my attempts to be good in every genre,” he concluded.
On the work front, Kunal Kemmu is looking forward to the release of Abhay 3.