“Namaskaram,” he started off with his hands folded in front of a packed crowd. And the people welcomed him with surprised claps on hearing the Malayalam word. “I stand here today in front of you all with a wish to help you all in this time of distress,” when the translator did his job well enough to make the crowd understand what he said, their claps turned into cheering. These were the words from Bollywood actor Kunal Kapoor, who was in Aluva to hand over the fund for relief that he could raise through Ketto, a crowdfunding platform, and to interact with them.
Though he has only acted in one Malayalam movie, the actor showed much love towards the state and its people with this deed. Despite the busy schedule, he was ready to talk about his involvement in charity and his films.
Kunal has been involved in some charity crowdfunding activities over the years. He co-founded and started Ketto that is known for raising funds for social (NGOs/Non-Profits/Charities), creative (Movies / Music / Theatre / Fashion / Technology) and personal (Health/Education/Travel) causes from a large number of people who share your passion or concern. Based out of Mumbai, Ketto is Asia’s most popular online crowdfunding space for social, creative and personal causes.
“When we started out, we knew it was the need of the hour. But many people were not familiar with what a crowdfunding platform is all about. There are a lot of people out there who want to reach out and help by donating money or by other means but are never really sure where their money goes, how it is being spent or who’s going to be the beneficiary. With the kind of transparency we offer, it has really got a lot of people together. I’m glad it is coming along so well,” he says.
Ketto’s primary objective is to use technology to optimise efficiency, reduce redundancy and increase impact by targeting the social sector of the country. Right now we could raise so much aid for Kerala. The amount raised would be Rs. 1, 86, 29,050 and this is an ongoing campaign,” shares Kunal. He also handed over a cash cheque of Rs 36 lakh at the event. “The army, the government and other NGOs are working well to rebuild the land. I am so proud to be part of it with our initiative,” he says.
His latest movie, Gold, is a historical sports drama inspired by India's first Olympic gold medal. It also stars Akshay Kumar and Mouni Roy. “It is a sports drama. We have been seeing a lot of films based on historical events and realistic stories. Gold is a prime example of how far our cinema has come. I never played hockey before this film and it was a nice experience. Good to hear it is running well in Kerala too,” he says.
It is a no secret that Kunal is very selective and commits to only characters that are worth doing. Since he doesn’t have any projects going on, he has been concentrating on his new role as a scriptwriter. However, the actor says he used to write from a young age and acting is not his only love. “When I started my career, I had worked as assistant director. Now I am concentrating on getting the script that I am writing in place. It is time-consuming but something that I have wanted to do for a long time. We should be filming it sometime next year. I am not doing too many movies now as I don’t want to do everything. When I read a script, if the character is appealing, I do it and I don’t think there are big or small films. If the role is good, I commit,” he explains.
When asked about why we don’t see more movies like Rang De Basanti, he goes, “Movies like Rang De Basanti won’t happen twice.” Ask him if he misses Rang De Basanti and he says “Obviously. It was that good.”
When asked about Malayalam cinema and his experience in Veeram, he said his love and respect for Malayalam cinema is endless. Though he just acted in only one film, he’s touched by the reception he got here. “It was a great experience and an epic role with a master director like Jayaraj. I can’t ask for more. Since Veeram I have actually got a couple of offers but none struck a chord,” he concludes.
