Kunal Khemu

Child artist and early work in lead role (1987–2009)

Khemu made his debut as a child actor appearing in the Doordarshan TV series Gul Gulshan Gulfaam (1987). He made his film debut with Mahesh Bhatt's film Sir (1993). He went on to star as a child artist in films including Raja Hindustani, Zakhm, Bhai, Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke, and Dushman. His performance in Zakhm earned him the Screen Award for Best Child Artist.

Khemu made his lead debut in 2005 with Kalyug. He played a young man who sets out to exact revenge upon the porn industry after his wife commits suicide, opposite Smilie Suri. It emerged as a sleeper hit. Taran Adarsh noted, "Kunal makes his big screen debut and delivers a knockout performance from start to end. The boy exudes the intensity that very few newcomers can boast of."

Khemu had two releases in 2007; he first appeared in Traffic Signal. He then played one of the leads in Dhol, which emerged as a commercial success. Syed Firdaus Ashraf of Rediff.com was appreciative of his performance but felt Rajpal Yadav overshadowed the other three leads. This success was followed by a series of films that primarily underperformed commercially including Superstar (2008), Dhoondte Reh Jaaoge (2009) opposite Soha Ali Khan, Jai Veeru (2009) and 99 (2009). Among these only Jai Veeru became a moderate success.

Commercial success and career progression (2010–2019)

Khemu had his career breakthrough with Golmaal 3, which released in 2010, where he played Laxman, the poetic idiot. Mayank Shekhar of Hindustan Times found him to be in "top form". Golmaal 3 became a major commercial success and the third highest-grossing Hindi film of the year. His next release, Blood Money (2012), opposite Amrita Puri emerged as a moderate success and received positive reviews from critics. He played an honest man who unknowingly became part of the diamond trade.

In 2013, Khemu played an unemployed man in Go Goa Gone, where he also wrote the dialogues. The film is regarded as India’s first zombie comedy film and has also been described as first stoner comedy. It emerged as a commercial success at the box office. Lisa Tsering of The Hollywood Reporter felt Kunal "ace his role" and was appreciative of his comic timing. All of Khemu's next releases failed at the box office; Mr Joe B. Carvalho (2014), Bhaag Johnny (2015) and Guddu Ki Gun (2015). In 2017, he did a voice-over in an animated film Hanuman: Da' Damdaar as Lord Indra.

In 2017, Khemu reprised his role as Laxman, in Golmaal Again. A commercial success, the film became the highest grossing film of the franchise and one of the highest-grossing Indian films of all time. His next release, Kalank (2019), saw him play a Muslim man influenced by communal hatred. The film failed commercially. In the same year, Khemu expanded to streaming series with Abhay, where he played a police officer opposite Asha Negi. The series was renewed for second and third season in 2020 and 2022 respectively. Reviewing season 2, Ronak Kotecha stated, "Kunal’s understated and restrained act in the title role is a definite winner."

Critical recognition and streaming projects (2020–present)

Khemu started the following decade with the 2020 film Malang, where he played a police officer opposite Amruta Khanvilkar. Monika Rawal Kukreja of Hindustan Times noted, "Kunal not only impresses but also surprises. He slips into the skin of his character effortlessly and you love watching him onscreen. He is intense, good looking and menacing. The film became a commercial success and the fifth highest grossing film of the year. Later that year, he appeared in Lootcase. It was released on Disney+ Hotstar and received positive reviews. Khemu started 2023 with the series Pop Kaun?, opposite Nupur Sanon. Chirag Sehgal of News18 felt Kunal looks "natural" and does his role with utmost perfection. He then played a stingy person opposite Shweta Tripathi in Kanjoos Makhichoos. The film is based on the Gujarati play Sajan Re Jhooth Mat Bolo.

2024 saw Khemu made his directorial debut with the crime comedy Madgaon Express. The film became a commercial success and received positive response. It earned him the IIFA Award and Filmfare Award for Best Debut Director. In 2025, Khemu played a confused man-child learning fatherhood after an unexpected adoption, in the series Single Papa. Nandini Ramnath noted, "Apart from comic timing and an ability to rattle off scripted lines as though he is improvising them, Kemmu has a knack for overshadowing his actors without crowding them."

In 2026, Khemu turned host for the reality series The Alliance. In the same year, Khemu directed and acted in Vibe, his second directorial after Madgaon Express. Shachi Chaturvedi of News18 was appreciative of his performance and direction and noted, "Kunal is making the kind of cinema we did not know we needed." The film failed at the box office.

Films

Television