Kunal Karan Kapoor: Honestly Once More

Honesty..passion and connection are words that Kunal Karan Kapoor uses a lot in his conversation. Every sentence either begins or ends or draws from what these words stand for. After chatting to him today, I was watching a tribute to RD Burman and someone said about him, “he always believed that rhythm was within. And all you needed to do was to tap it.” That set me thinking again about something that has been playing on my mind lately. What it is that sets creators of art apart from generators of profit. What sets apart a Vinod Sehgal (those who have heard him in Jagjit Singh’s seminal album Kehkashan know him) and a Yo Yo Honey Singh. What sets  RD Burman apart from seasonal successes that eclipsed him when he was alive. That made a Van Gogh paint like maybe his life depended on it and maybe it did. Yes, that something that cannot be faked. That seed of truth. Of yes, honesty, passion and the need to connect at any cost. The need to create regardless of success or failure. That is what any craft is all about. Be it writing, acting or music or photography.
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Kunal has been photographing life too the same way he acts. With a driving need to capture a moment that says something, means something, when the sky is mirrored by the ocean, and the sunset is a limpid pause between the past and the future. When life stops to look at itself and smiles rapturously. He says, “Yes, someone suggested a coffee table book or an exhibition..I don’t think I am that good though.” I remind him that what connects cannot be judged or measured and he perhaps nods on the other end of the line or perhaps not. He says however, “Maybe even a badly taken picture sometimes says something that connects with people. Connection. That is what it is all about in the end.” So it is.

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Post Season 2 of Na Bole Tum Na Maine Kuch Kaha, he has been travelling and in his words, “moving houses, entertaining family and catching up with life.” How important it is to live a well..rounded life as an actor? He says, “Very.. but when you are in the middle of a TV show, it is hard to make any time for life. You are shooting, working, striving to catch up on rest and sleep and that is why when when Season 2 ended, I was on my toes, with my bags packed, ready to leave and one day just drove out of the city in my car  without knowing where I was headed.”

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His life has been a bit like that too. Is he surprised that without a roadmap, he has come as far as he has? He chuckles, “Yes! It is almost like someone is watching over me. When NBT was offered to me, I didn’t want to do it but it happened anyway.” And the unexpected award especially at a time when he is never given his due in most award functions. Did he feel vindicated when he won finally, unexpectedly? He says, “I was on top of the world. When I was on the stage, holding that trophy, my eyes lingered on the NBT team and I saw the smiles on their faces. They were beaming with such glowing effervescence..it was surreal. I just felt such gratefulness that I had been given this chance to stand here, that the universe had conspired to bring me here. It was humbling, a moment that soared.. a moment of pure gratitude.”

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The fact that even after creating a cult following for Mohan Bhatnagar, winning an award and setting a benchmark for actors in a mediocrity infested industry, he is still waiting for a project worthy of him, makes you wonder if he is a misfit in this cookie cutter industry. He pauses, takes his time to answer and says, “What I love is the span between ‘Action’ and ‘Cut.’ What I do in that span is what I love about my job. I find it hard to deal with the rest so maybe, in that sense I am a misfit even though it may not be the right thing to say. But I like to be honest so…”

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In all honesty then, what are the things he looks for in a project? “Honesty, people who are passionate about their work, who put their heart in what they do. Who create something worthwhile and not just for money. Who want every shot to be the best possible shot. I can’t presume to comment whether there is a dearth of such people not just in the TV Industry but any other because I know, there are a lot of people who work for the right reasons. I seek that comfort level you get when you work with such a team. When your sensibilities match, your best comes out. People are appreciated when they are honest. You can’t just skim the surface of an emotion and expect a scene to work.  Many times in Na Bole..there were scenes when we felt something was missing and none of us felt we were doing our best to improve the written word and Sudhir Sharma endowed us with the luxury to  pause and rethink what we were doing even though delays cost money but he and the team wanted to invest in a good scene, a good show and that was the driving force. This passion to look beyond profit and loss. And if you create something at the end of the day that connects with a homemaker in Kanpur, someone in Australia or Ladakh, you have made a connect. No, I don’t look back at the NBT experience with sadness. It was the beginning of so many great things and it was all good..every bit of it. ”

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So it was by and large for those who followed the story if only for the way he used up the stuff of life, pain and anguish and joy and the way he made you feel like you were in that moment with him. How is he so real? Does he channel his own emotions or is it the character that drives him? He responds, ” It is a mix of a lot of things.  It comes from the comfort level between the team, how much freedom you get.  The  feeling, memory, or imagination you draw from at a given moment. It depends on your understanding of what is written. On your innate drive to give your best. It could depend even on the superb chai you sip between shots!”

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And can actors be trained to be authentic? He says thoughtfully, “Maybe..but the ability to feel. emote, understand can’t be taught. Maybe you can learn how to face the camera and the lights, how to stand and move  but the ability to be emotive comes from within..it is innate.”  And what about that magical something people describe as chemistry? That he shared till the last scene with Akanksha Singh? Even that last banter on a terrace around washed laundry. And with Dushyant Singh. And Ashnoor. Where does that come from? ” From the need to do good work,” he says simply.