Actor Kunal Khemu in an exclusive conversation with Firstpost, mentions that the character of Abhay is very different from him. But this is the longest character he has ever played on screen. The character is also synonymous with his name, though he smiles a lot more than Abhay. Actor Kunal Kemmu made his OTT debut with ZEE5’s Abhay in 2019. The show is now back with its third season. Excerpts:
How does it feel to be back with Abhay Season 3?
It’s a sense of relief. The first season worked and that’s why we did season 2 and again Season 2 worked so we are now doing Season3. At the same time, there is a lot of excitement and a little bit of nervousness because we should be able to live up to the expectations of the audience and be able to weave it in such a way that they like it. I am just waiting for it to air on the 8th of April.
Abhay was your OTT debut, what is the emotional connection you have with the character?
It’s been a very special journey for me because, at the time when it was offered to me, it was so different from everything else that I was doing. Firstly, I was excited to be a part of a genre that I wasn’t doing and it also meant stepping into a new medium in the form of an OTT platform. There was a little bit of nervousness, but the emotional connection got stronger with the first season when I got to understand the character of Abhay. When the character was appreciated in the First Season, I could do it with a lot more confidence in Season 2. And in the third season, I feel I am very close to this fictional character even though he is very different from me. But this is the longest character that I have played on screen. So, it will always be very special to me for so many reasons, not just the genre being different. The character was loved and is also synonymous with my name.
How Abhay are you in your real life?
I am actually a very different person. But on certain principles, we are similar like we take our jobs very seriously and we give it all that we have. The life of Abhay is poles apart from mine. He is dealing with psychopaths and the tragedies that he has been through is no way similar to mine. I am a much happier person than Abhay and I smile a lot more than him.
How has Abhay evolved over the three seasons?
Now you can see more layers to the character of Abhay. That is the advantage of OTT. It allows you to live the character for a long time. He is also not like your typical hero. OTT makes him more human and real. There is a grey side to him. What we did in season one was we understood how he became this tough, non-smiling, no-nonsense cop. You got to see his past. In the second season, we saw Abhay constantly on his job. The third is a bit of a mix of both. He is at a crossroads between his own existence and the job at hand. I think he has evolved in a way that he does get in touch with his inner self. So, while he is fighting the demons outside, he has a conflict with his own existence.
Does a web series give you the scope to develop a character, unlike feature films? Do you think it to be an advantage?
I think your whole approach to a character in a series is more thought of not only by you but from the writer’s perspective to start with because it is a long process and how do you keep the viewers interested in the character is a challenge. The series gives you the opportunity to not exhaust everything in one go. It gives you the scope to bring in new nuances to the character. And there is a scope for doing multiple seasons, so you live the character again and again. With Abhay specifically, it has given me a lot of chances to understand this character. For me, it was really fulfilling to play this role.
On OTT boom.
The OTT space has given everybody an audience and when I say that, I mean the OTT has given an opportunity to not just actors, but to everybody involved in the process of making films and shows. For the audience too, OTT has given them the opportunity to watch stuff, which they can today because television wasn’t providing that variety. OTT doesn’t put you inside boxes and audiences are also accepting the fact that a single character can have different shades. I am happy for the opportunity to play different shades of a character at one time. I am happy for the audience for the umpteen number of opportunities that OTT offers in terms of cinema viewing.
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