Lootcase actor Kunal Kemmu: It doesn’t matter to me if you judge my work based on who my wife is

As the nepotism debate rages on in Bollywood, many have talked about the insiders vs outsides prejudices and the lack of level playing field. Actor Kunal Kemmu, too, had recently expressed displeasure after being snubbed by an OTT platform for not being invited for the announcement of their lineup of films which also included Lootcase starring Kemmu.

Weighing in on the same, the actor says, “If you have box office success, you’re an insider, if not, then you’re an outsider. Then you will start going out of the door. Everybody in this business — I’ve also seen my share of it, but it stands true for everybody. Even the big superstars have had lull in their life and they have also seen this.”

The 37-year-old adds that this whole insider vs outsider debate is not valid at all and has no relevance.

“The film industry hasn’t existed forever; it is made up of outsiders, by people who came from different parts of the country. It is an industry built by outsiders only,” he explains.

Kemmu, who is married to actor Soha Ali Khan — the daughter of yesteryear actor Shamila Tagore and sister of Saif Ali Khan — is often questioned on his connections in the film industry.

To this, he says, “People will always say something or the other, that’s fine. They will always try to bring you down. I have to choose what kind of criticism I want to take. Don’t judge my work based on who I am and were I have come from or who my wife is, but if you do, it does not matter to me. All that matters is your talent and your work rest all are just noise.”

The Kalank (2019) and Malang actor believes that at the end, it’s all about that Friday and box office performance of a film. “Anyone who has a good Friday is toasted and then when they don’t, they might slowly fade, they will stop getting calls, shows will not want you anymore and magazine don’t want to put you on their cover. It is all about the whole ecosystem,” he shares.

So what’s the cut off for a person to be considered an insider in Bollywood?

“See I can’t honestly say that I am an outsider. Even though I didn’t have a filmy family or a background, I have been doing it since I was 7 and in those terms I have been an insider but still may be I feel like an outsider,” concludes the actor, who has acted as a child artiste in films such as Sir and Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke (both 1993), Raja Hindustani (1996), Zakhm and Dushman (both 1998).

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