At a time when he is being hailed as one of the most original comedy filmmakers in the industry, it is hard to reconcile with the fact that Kunal Kemmu began his career as a child artist, making his name as the cute but outspoken kid in many hits of the early 90s. Mahesh Bhatt played a major role in Kunal’s career, directing some of his most memorable films as a child star and later giving him a break as an adult. But he was also part of the ‘worst deal’ Kunal ever made. In a candid conversation with Hindustan Times, Kunal talked about his early days in the film industry, particularly one instance that happened when he was filming Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke
He asked me, ‘What can I do for you, what can I get you that you won’t go? Kunal appeared as a child actor in the film, alongside Ashrafa and Sharokh Bharucha. You guys can settle this yourselves’,” Kunal recalled. He explained, “I got bribed. There used to be this Samurai video game that was popular. Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke was Kunal’s second film after Sir. He appeared in a few more films as a child actor, including Zakhm, for which his performance was praised. Kunal is now returning to direction with the spy comedy Vibe. This time, he stars in the film himself. The cast of Vibe also includes Preity Zinta, Vanshika Dhir, Dinesh Lal Yadav, and Yashpal Sharma, among others.
Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke, directed by Mahesh Bhatt , is a 1993 film that starred Aamir Khan and Juhi Chawla in the lead roles. “I was all of 7. He made his debut as a lead actor in 2005 with the Mahesh Bhatt-produced Kalyug. In 2024, he made his directorial debut with Madgaon Express. Produced by Kunal Kemmu and Chirag Nihalani under their production banner Drongo Films, in association with Amazon MGM Studios, Vibe will be out in cinemas on September 18.
Because bhatt sahab asked my dad how he would do this shoot, as he has a scene tomorrow, it was very weird.
Kunal told us that once, his school picnic coincided with the shoot schedule and the seven-year-old him was not too keen to miss the fun picnic. My dad just told him, ‘I am not getting into this. The actor said the filmmaker eventually ‘bribed’ him into missing the picnic. I said I don’t have a video game, so he got me that video game.
