Kunal Khemu finds new hobbies in his spare time: Sometimes it happens when you don’t have work

“As an actor, sometimes you don’t have work…. Either you travel or you think that’s what you are doing. I started finding new hobbies, took up guitar, biking etc. I trained myself to write when I was working on Go Goa Gone.

I used that experience and whatever ideas I had, I started developing them,” Kemmu told PTI in a virtual interview.

The actor said that he wrote the script of Madgaon Express in 2014-15. “It was a way for me to get through what I was going through, it was therapeutic for me,” he said.

Khemu said he was glad that Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani of Excel Entertainment found his script interesting and decided to produce the film. “There were people who found it interesting and over the years, there were talks about it. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to direct it. I was in a place of mind where I was ready to do it. I’m glad That I took that step because till now I have enjoyed it myself.

Madgaon Express stars Divyendu, Prateek Gandhi, Avinash Tiwari, Nora Fatehi, Remo D’Souza, Upendra Limaye and Chhaya Kadam. Kemmu, known for starring in films like Kalyug, Go Goa Gone, Golmaal franchise, Lootcase and the series Abhay, said he felt boxed into intense and comic roles early in his career.

“The constant struggle as an actor is when something works, it’s very easy to be typecast. When I did Kalyug and Traffic Signal, it was like, ‘That’s what he does’. Then Dhol, 99, Dhoondhte Rehna Jaaoge, Hua and a lot of comedy came. I was stuck because only comedy came to me.”

After featuring in intense roles in Kalank ZEE5 Original Abhay, Kemmu is now returning to the comedy genre with the web show Pop Kaun. Currently streaming on Disney Hotstar, the series is produced and directed by Farhad Samji. It features an impressive ensemble cast of well-known comedians including Johnny Lever, Saurabh Shukla, Rajpal Yadav, Chunky Pandey, Jamie Lever.

Kemmu said that he was attracted to the project as it gave him an opportunity to collaborate with legends of comedy. “I thought it was a new and interesting idea and as casting began, I thought it was something I would enjoy doing.”

Pop Who also has a posthumous appearance by late Satish Kaushik, who passed away earlier this month. The actor said he is shocked by Kaushik’s untimely demise. “It has been a shocker. The day the news broke, I felt someone messed up because we were interviewing four days back. I have known him since childhood as he was my father’s friend.

“While working on the show, I got a chance to interact with him, listen to his stories. He was someone who always had a smile on his face,” she added. Hotstar Specials Pop is produced by Kaun Yum Productions.