Beyond the Actor, The Ideas and Interests That Shape Kunal Kapoor

For Kunal Kapoor, a film set is only one place to exercise his curiosity. The actor, who turns a year older on October 18, has built a parallel identity as an entrepreneur, co-founded a crowdfunding platform, ventured into preventive healthcare and is now using fashion to bring India’s space programme into popular culture, whilst working as an actor and writer in the film industry across multiple languages. What connects these pursuits is an interest in ideas that can find a life beyond their immediate audience.

His latest project is a case in point. Kapoor has designed six bomber jackets inspired by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), in collaboration with A47 Merch. The collection includes designs inspired by the Gaganyaan mission, alongside blueprint-inspired styles and sportswear interpretations. Rather than simply launch a finished collection, he has invited people to vote for their favourites, with the top three designs set to go into production. The thinking behind the project is straightforward: “Man, we have incredible institutions. And I’ve always felt they should be part of our pop culture, not just our curriculum,” he wrote while unveiling the designs. It is an attempt to take an institution associated with scientific achievement and make it part of everyday fashion.

The idea of making something accessible to a wider audience also runs through Ketto, the crowdfunding platform Kapoor co-founded in 2012 with Varun Sheth and Zaheer Adenwala. Built around connecting people who need financial assistance with those willing to contribute, the platform has facilitated fundraisers for medical treatment, education and social causes. During the Covid-19 pandemic, its work included a initiative called ‘Milkar for Mumbai’ a platform supporting food security for vulnerable communities. His work with The Khaki Project provided safety essentials for police personnel. Ketto also supported community kitchens for migrant workers and projects distributing food and essential supplies to those affected by the lockdown. These were concrete actions in a crisis where many were deprived of basic necessities.

His other entrepreneurial venture, MetaGO, takes that thinking into healthcare, but shifts the focus from responding to emergencies to addressing health concerns before they escalate. Launched with co-founders Varun Sheth and Zaheer Adenwala, the doctor-led platform focuses on metabolic health, integrating medical consultations, diagnostic assessments, personalised treatment plans, nutrition guidance, fitness coaching and ongoing monitoring. The idea emerged from what Kapoor observed during his years with Ketto: families often sought financial help only after conditions such as diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease had progressed. MetaGO aims to intervene earlier, with a sustained approach to care rather than treating weight management as a short-term goal.

Kapoor’s interests also extend to pursuits that have little to do with running a business. A trained pilot and rally car enthusiast, he has spoken about his interest in technology, artificial intelligence and coding. Writing, too, has become an important creative outlet. In a recent conversation, he revealed that he had completed four film scripts, explaining that creating his own material gives him the opportunity to explore characters and stories that may not necessarily come his way as an actor. It is an extension of a creative instinct that doesn’t depend entirely on being cast in someone else’s vision.

For someone who has spent much of his career moving between different kinds of roles, Kapoor’s work outside cinema suggests a similar reluctance to stay in one lane. Whether he is building a platform to connect donors with people in need, exploring preventive healthcare or designing jackets that bring ISRO into the fashion conversation, the interest lies in taking an idea and figuring out how it might work in the real world.

As he celebrates his birthday, the more revealing story may not be how many hats Kapoor wears, but how differently he approaches each one. Acting may be the profession that made him recognisable, but his interests suggest that the work he finds rewarding is often the work that begins where the spotlight ends.