Exclusive! Kunal Kemmu: Vijay Raaz's character changes the whole world of Abhay

Kunal Kemmu is one of the versatile actors in Indian cinema and has proven his mettle ever since he debuted in a lead role with the 2005 crime-drama film Kalyug.

Like many actors, new and present, he also jumped into the world of OTT with the crime-thriller series Abhay. And after presenting two successful instalments, Kunal returned with a third part on ZEE5 on April 8.

In a recent chat with OTTplay, the actor spoke about Abhay 3, how it differs from the last two seasons, and his experience of working with a new set of cast members. Kunal also opened up about his process of selecting projects and what’s next in the pipeline for him.

How is Abhay 3 different from its last two parts?

It is pretty exciting. In the trailer, the way Vijay Raaz's character has been introduced kind of changes the whole world of Abhay. And that's what the newness of Abhay 3. It's Vijay Raaz's character and the world that comes with him. It's going to be different for the audience and also for Abhay as he gets absorbed into this new world. Visually also it's going to be different this time.

Does it feel surreal to come back to Abhay again and again and receive the same kind of love each time?

I do. I feel very thankful and I'm really blessed that that happened. We all know that and we work even harder to make sure that this newfound love that we've had through this OTT space and the show called Abhay at least remains the same if not grows more.

Did you expect the series to become this big when you signed the first season of Abhay?

You’re always hopeful. I've learnt better to not expect much and just concentrate on the work that you do because expectation can lead to heartbreaks. But you always do something like this with a belief and a hope that it will work, it will find an audience, but the fact that it has is very reaffirming. I think that's the only validation that we can get as makers of the show and also for me, somebody who plays the pivotal part in the show.

The show is quite gruesome, where there are a lot of killings and blood showcased. What was your reaction when you saw the horrible sight of blood in such a large amount?

Well! I'm pretty used to it. Whether it's a gun or anything else, we know that it's a fake. But having that fake blood on your body is really annoying. And if you're shooting in an area where there are flies, then it's really bad for you. But the fact that it's all fake, doesn't bother me much.

Would it be right to say that because the industry is so competitive, even if you’re a good actor, you don’t get the same opportunities there as you might in the world of OTT?

I think it also has to do with the showcasing. Because there is a limited number of theatres and a limited number of shows. But as a bigger maker and a bigger star you may get a better opportunity to showcase your work on a big level and before that promote it on a huge level as well. So, I think, somewhere OTT has been able to balance that.

And also theatres were shut down for almost two years, so even now when they are open, people are still going on OTT platforms because they have a lot of things to pick from. I think it took out a lot of pressure from the industry and has given a lot of opportunity to the makers to showcase what they want to.

Abhay is, I imagine, part-fictional. If you were to be a supercop one day, which crime would you first want to go after?

There is so much crime, but I would like to go after the crimes against children because anything which is against voiceless animals and little children bothers me a lot. And then the crimes against women and thereon.

We all know and love you as Abhay and want to see more of him but there is more happening in the OTT space. Is there any character that has caught your attention from your own show and other shows?

From Abhay, I love all the villains. From Ram Kapoor, Chunky Panday to Deepak Tijori, Anshuman Jha and each and every villain of the series has done justice to their character in both the last two seasons. And even in this season Rahul Dev, Divya Agarwal, Tanuj Virwani and specifically Vijay Raaz. They've all been very interesting characters.

In the whole OTT space, in the past few years, we have made such great shows that are competing all over the world, whether it's Paatal Lok or Scam: 1992 or Tabbar or The Family Man. So, all those important characters in these shows have caught my eye. Even a show from a small canvas like Gullak is so lovely to watch.

Tell us about your upcoming projects.

I've finished a film called Kanjoos Makkhi Choos, which will be out in a couple of months.