5 celebrities with Kashmiri roots

Kunal Kemmu, born in Srinagar, belongs to a Kashmiri Pandit family that was forced to leave during the 1990 exodus. Though he mostly grew up in Mumbai, he has always held onto his Kashmiri identity. In a podcast with Raj Shamani, he opened up about his memories and how the exodus affected his family:

“We left during the exodus. I was too young; I might have some kind of PTSD from it, but more than me, my parents and family faced it and had to deal with it. My father went to the National School of Drama. He was still trying to figure out if he wanted to move to Mumbai because he was working with Shyam Benegal at that time. He worked on ‘Yatra,’ ‘Bharat Dekho,’ ‘Discovery of India,’ and all those kinds of shows.”

From childhood roles in films like ‘Zakhm’ to comedies like ‘Dhol’ and ‘Go Goa Gone,’ Kunal has carved out a place for himself in Bollywood, all while staying close to his roots.