Sony SAB: Interview with Kunal Kumar (Niranjan Agnihotri) for show Namune

Namune – Kunal Kumar (Niranjan Agnihotri)

Q: How has the shooting experience been till now?

Kunal: The shooting experience has been really nice. Through this story, I get to meet all the brilliant actors I work with. There is a story with Deven Bhojani. I finished another story with Paresh Ganatra and another one with Nagesh Bhosale. It is a learning experience for me. I am working with the ones I have only seen before this. They are legends. Just to be with them and to see them perform, is a dream come true. What better acting class can I get where all the legends come together and teach me. So yes, I am loving it. Toral, who is playing my wife, is very nice. The kids - Saloni and Aryan - are superb. As there is a connection, it doesn’t feel like you are acting. It is a very friendly environment. The director, even the assistants, everyone is so passionate about the project. Everyone we see is just smiling. So, in this story, there is one Namuna and in another story, there is another. But by the end of the episode, the Namune teach you everything, and we at the set, learn a lot from them.

Q: Did you do any special preparation for your role?

Kunal: When I got Niranjan’s role, I felt very good and prepared myself, too. I spoke to many insurance agents. There are some people who are very honest, while there are others who are clever, the ones who are more interested in the commission which they will get throughout the tenure. I play the character of someone who is honest and has values. When he goes out to sell policies he fails. His boss is after him to sell as he wants numbers. So the character is always scared and stressed about how he can achieve the same. He also worries about his family.

I think somehow this happens in a middle class family. The husband goes out to earn, but subconsciously, he feels that he needs to be able to achieve what he aspires to do for his family. To play that subtext was very important. To understand that, I tried meeting people to understand the terms they use – ‘3 females and 5 males I met’. I understood about insurance from them. I was happy with this exciting role coming my way and to understand the subconscious part of it. This is why I really love Niranjan Agnihotri. I got to learn and see a new scope of performance in this - to learn what goes on behind-the-scenes in the life of any insurance agent.

Q: Do you relate to your character - Niranjan?

Kunal: I fully relate to Niranjan, 110%. I think a lot about things. I think everyone thinks a lot in the sphere of acting, the family, what would they do, where is everything going to take place, my parents who are in Haryana - about them. There are hundreds and millions of things which are going on in my head and I tend to forget them too. I am very bad with dates. So, yes, I relate to Niranjan and his problems. So somehow I don’t have to act. I just have to react. And it is basically me. Nothing but my reflection. For me, it’s a very easy task.

Q: Have you read a P. L. Deshpande book? Is there a particular one you like?

Kunal: I haven’t got the chance to read P.L Deshpande ji’s book. I have heard that it is in Marathi. I even enquired whether there is one in Hindi or English, but I have not been able to find one yet. Somehow, I am reading his book through our episodes. I have surely understood how he used to write and how he had a different filter to look at the world.

Q: Is there any Namuna in your life?

Kunal: There is definitely a Namuna in my life - my liftman. He is a very simple man who stays happy. I haven’t, till date in my life, seen someone so happy. The way he walks and the energy he radiates, it is something I really salute him for. He hardly has a salary of Rs. 8000, has two kids, lives in a small house and does night duties. But the smile that he bears on his face is so contagious. Somehow, I have learnt a lot from this Namuna from my building. I keep meeting him and whenever I do, I hug him. I hug him with all honesty for making me love life unconditionally.

Q: How is Niranjan different from the other characters you have portrayed in the past?

Kunal: I haven’t played a character like Niranjan Agnihotri, as far as I remember. Gutar Gu was absolutely silent, where we didn’t even talk. In that, of course, I was playing the role of a husband but this is another kind of a husband who is always worried and is bothered about what happens around the world, what does the wife think, giving medicines to his mother so that her BP is under control and the fees of his kids. So, I haven’t played a character with this level of stress, but I have played some funny characters. Apart from that, I have played negative characters. The journey from negative to comedy has been a beautiful one, but the character of Niranjan Agnihotri is completely different, poles apart and has beautiful layering in it.

Q: What can people expect from this show?

Kunal: Audience will definitely have a great time because they will get some really good life lessons which are important in our daily lives. There is humour in this, which is nice. There are life lessons and it is motivational. It caters to all age groups. There are kids, there are elders, mid-aged people too. So, it targets all age groups. I think it is a beautiful medley. Everyone will watch it and smile. Somewhere it will touch their hearts as well.

Q: What can fans expect from you and your character on the show?

Kunal: Namune is a wholesome entertainment show. Fans will love it. They will love the character and the lines. They will love the lingos, they will love the “pareshanis”. They will love all the different characters coming in. Somehow, you know, touching their lives. It’s really nice. What do I say? I am falling short of words. Yes of course, by the end of the episode, it will bring so much joy to everyone that it will make them hopeful that this kind of Namuna will be there around their houses as well. So yes please watch! Haste Raho, India!