Through a Kaleidoscope

(This piece was first published a few years back on Telly Tadka).

My blood boils and bile rises up my throat as I watch the scoundrel ogle and grin lecherously at the poor girl. I feel like smacking that ugly grin off those paan-stained lips. Yey tha Angad. The vilest of villains ever to be seen.

Ek tha Yudi. A young cool huggable dude. The type of guy who’s so cute, you want to pull his cheeks. The exact opposite of Angad.

Ek tha Varun. Sensitive, serious nerdy Varun. Add to that – stammering, shy, introvert. Hey, that was totally me when I was in school.

Ek tha Amreek. A happy-go-lucky, warm lovable Punj. The friend everyone wants to have.

Ek tha Mohan Bhatnagar. The imperfectly perfect heart of gold. Nanhi’s Spiderman. Heartthrob of millions. A character that will always stay close to my heart.

Aur ek hai KUNAL KARAN KAPOOR. Who played each of the above characters so naturally, so effortlessly, so convincingly, you forgot he was just acting.There were other characters as well – Monty, Sukhi, Shaurya and Vasu Bhao to name a few; each unique and very different from the rest. Yet, like a Wimbledon champion, he managed to serve ace after ace, dispelling any doubts the audience might have had about his acting calibre.

When Kunal acts, he not only gives it his best. He gives it his heart, his soul… his all. Through all the characters he has portrayed over the years, he has treated his viewers to a gamut of emotions. No one can emote like him. No one. When he does emotional scenes, he tugs at your heartstrings so strong, you can feel his anguish, his pain coming from somewhere deep within and you cry with him.

But it is not just emotional scenes that are his forte. He is brilliant in funny scenes as well. Watch Left Right Left and Na Bole Tum and you’ll understand what I mean. Especially his scenes with Dushyant Wagh are so rib-ticklingly hilarious that no matter how many times you watch them, they still make you laugh.

As for his dialogue delivery, I personally feel it comes very close to Amitabh Bachhan’s. Just listen to Amitabh’s mai aur meri tanhai and then to Kunal’s recitation of the nazm – yaadon mein kitni dafa. Notice the likeness? Not just that. There’s something about the way he says certain words. Take the words “arre yaar”. People have been using those two words for years. But when Kunal utters them, they get a life of their own, become a rage even.

In Na Bole Tum, as the name suggests, there were moments when there were no dialogues. In those moments, it was Kunal’s eyes that spoke. Volumes. So intense is his gaze that once they start talking, you are mesmerised. You simply can’t look away.

Kunal Karan Kapoor. A complete actor. An actor beyond compare. Whether it is his expressions, dialogue delivery, nuances, comic timing or gut-wrenching emotions, he remains unparalleled. Whatever the role – be it that of a young cadet just starting out in life or a carefree journalist or a menacing goon, he plays it to the hilt. Watching him act, is like looking through a kaleidoscope; there are so many hues and layers to his acting.

He is beyond doubt, one of the finest actors on Indian television today. It is sad that owing to TRPS, many Indian soaps are at best mediocre and sometimes even verge on the ridiculous. I do hope an out of the box show comes along soon. A show with an original storyline and worthy of a talent like Kunal.

Until then, I shall bide my time. For it is not everyday that someone walks into your home through your television set, straight into your heart. When that does happen, you know he’s special. One of a kind. And there can be no other.

Keep 😂friends. Life is Beautiful. Cherish each moment. 

Har pal yahaan, jee bhar jiyo...   😊