Kunal Kapoor started his journey as an actor with the 2004 release Meenaxi: A Tale of Three Cities. Now, after being in the industry for 17 years, the actor has decided to step ahead and become a producer.
His first production venture will be a biopic on India’s Winter Olympian Shiva Keshavan. Kapoor took to Twitter to inform everyone about it.
He tweeted, “Very happy to announce my 1st venture as a producer. The story of six time winter Olympian, the amazing @100thofasec A story, not only about resilience and the path less taken, but also about the spirit of India. And our ability to reach for the impossible with limited resources.”
While talking about turning a producer, Kunal told Times Of India, “I think this is the best time to be a storyteller. When I was starting off, there was a certain kind of cinema being made. Films that had to fit into a mould, which has now been broken. The audience is exposed to so much content from across the world, that they are open to different stories and new ways of storytelling. And you have a whole new breed of technicians, who think in a way that is original and unique. It’s exciting that you have so many films being made which are rooted in India; stories from small towns, of unsung heroes and about the history of our country.”
“I’ve been writing stories since my days as an assistant director. And I would love to bring those stories to life not only as an actor but also as a producer and director. As an actor, you have little control over what stories you get a chance to tell. You can only choose from what you are offered and you’re part of someone else’s vision. But as a producer, you have a chance to bring your own vision to life,” he added.
Shiva Keshavan is considered as India’s greatest Winter Olympian. Revealing why he decided to make a biopic on Shiva, Kapoor said, “He is an amazing athlete. What drew me to Shiva Keshavan was not only the fact that he has represented India in the Olympics six times, but that it was also a story about the spirit of India and the incredible things we manage to achieve with limited resources. It’s a story of resilience and the path less taken; it’s also a celebration of our culture and diversity.”
Meanwhile, as an actor we will get to see Kunal in Disney+ Hotstar’s series The Empire. His first look from the series was unveiled a few days ago.