Kunal Kapoor has made some unusual career decisions — think 'Laaga Chunari Mein Daag' and 'Aaja Nachle' — but we’re not complaining. After all, right from his first movie opposite Tabu in 'Meenaxi: A Tale of Three Cities', he has made it a point to do the unexpected. So while you have a crowd and critic-pleasing 'Rang De Basanti', you also have 'Hattrick'. The 34-year-old actor was also seen in 'Don 2', where he played an expert computer hacker. With Kapoor’s next fil'm, Luv Shuv They Chicken Khurana', all set to release next month, the actor says he is not here to prove himself:
I play the role of Omi Khurana, who is incredibly selfish and like a typical Punjabi guy, runs away to the UK. It is a heart warming family story about how he is behind a legendary recipe. We have tried to club the idea of an independent film and a comedy. We have made a conscious effort not to present our Punjabis as loud and over the top. The movie is quirky in its own way and has a lot of madness.
I don’t know why people ask me if this movie is a comeback. My last release was 'Don 2' but they don’t consider that my movie. I have been part of big films but I guess what people look for is the length of the role. I am not here to prove myself. I think all my roles have been important.
I have been getting scripts but most of them were for films I did not want to be part of. It took me three years to know the industry and make the right decisions.
I am not averse to being the supporting actor in a movie. I’ve taken it slow all these years. People in the industry call me stupid. I could’ve done more than five films a year but I didn’t do it. I am not an insecure actor and I don’t want insecurity to dictate terms in my life.
Yes, I look very different in the movie without my trademark moustache and long hair. People used to come up to me and ask for Kunal. It was so weird.
We are a country that loves food and we have never had a food centric movie. I was born a foodie and in the movie, food is a metaphor. But the tough part about the movie is that we had to eat so much. There is one scene where my uncle had to eat 32 jalebis and we took 20 takes!