Kunal Singh
Kunal Singh (29 September 1977 – 7 February 2008), popularly known as Kunal, was an Indian actor who mainly appeared in Tamil films. He is best known in Kathir's Kadhalar Dhinam (1999), which is his debut. He has acted in 18 movies. His death in 2008 from apparent suicide garnered significant media attention.
Kunal Singh | |
|---|---|
 Kunal in the 1999 Tamil film Kadhalar Dhinam | |
| Born | Kunal Singh 29 September 1977 Haryana, India |
| Died | 7 February 2008 (aged 30) Mumbai, Maharashtra, India |
| Occupation | Film actor |
| Years active | 1999–2007 |
Career
Kunal was introduced in Kathir's 1999 super romantic hit Kadhalar Dhinam, alongside Hindi actress Sonali Bendre. He played a young student who falls in love with Bendre's character over the Internet. The movie was partially remade and dubbed into Hindi as Dil Hi Dil Mein.
After the success of Kadhalar Dhinam, Kunal appeared in a series of good movies like Paarvai Ondre Podhume (2001) and Punnagai Desam (2002). Then, he appeared in many flops like Pesadha Kannum Pesume, Enge Enadhu Kavithai and Unarchigal. Several of his other films had delayed releases or were shelved, like Rithik's Kadhalithal Anandam, which would have featured him alongside Livingston and Kausalya.[1] When he was unable to find roles as an actor, he served as assistant editor for several films and turned to producing.[2] His last film was Nanbanin Kadhali, which released in 2007.
Death
On 7 February 2008, Kunal was found hanging from the ceiling in his Mumbai apartment by actress Lavina Bhatia. The apparent suicide was challenged by his father Rajendra Singh who claimed that the body showed signs of suspicious bruising. Bhatia was detained by police in connection with his death, but she was later released after the police could not prove a motive. The police were unable to prove that anyone was present in Kunal's apartment at the time of his death and ruled out Bhatia as a suspect as Kunal had a black belt in karate;[3] furthermore, Kunal had attempted suicide by slashing his wrists several months earlier. At the time of his death, Kunal was working on a Hindi film, Yogi, which was being produced by his newly formed production company Balagiri.[4][5] The case was referred to CBI and Prof T D Dogra of All India Institute of Medical Sciences. He examined the scene of crime along with CBI and opined in favor of suicide.[6]
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Kadhalar Dhinam | Raja | |
| 2000 | Dil Hi Dil Mein | Raja | Hindi film; partially reshot version of Kadhalar Dhinam |
| 2001 | Paarvai Ondre Podhume | Vinod | |
| 2002 | Punnagai Desam | Raja | |
| Varushamellam Vasantham | Ramesh | ||
| Pesadha Kannum Pesume | Vikram | ||
| Enge Enadhu Kavithai | Babu | ||
| Arputham | Arvind | ||
| 2004 | Super Da | Rahul | |
| Kadhal Thiruda | |||
| 2005 | Devathaiyai Kanden | Bala | |
| Pesuvoma | Elango | ||
| Thirudiya Idhayathai | |||
| Saadhuriyan | |||
| Sollattuma | |||
| Sorry Enaku Kalyanamayidichu | Vijay | ||
| Unarchigal | |||
| 2007 | Nanbanin Kadhali | Surya |
References
- https://web.archive.org/web/20030731094320/http://chennaionline.com/entertainment/filmplus/tmaking.asp
- Renni Abraham (8 February 2008). "I saw actor Kunal Singh hanging, says friend". Daily News & Analysis. Archived from the original on 26 August 2010. Retrieved 16 August 2010.
- "Court orders CBI probe into actor's murder". Times of India. 18 December 2009. Archived from the original on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2010.
- Jaidev Hemmady (8 December 2009). "Plot thickens in Bollywood murder mystery". Indian Express. Retrieved 16 August 2010.
- "Actor found dead in Lokhandwala flat". Indian Express. 8 February 2008. Archived from the original on 9 October 2012. Retrieved 16 August 2010.
- "Bombay High Court,Ms.Lovina Pankaj Bhatia vs Central Bureau Of Investigation on 12 August, 2011". Bombay High Court. 12 August 2011. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
External links
- Kunal Singh on IMDb