Actor Kunal Kapoor feels that if celebrities, who have millions of admirers, can endorse colas, clothes and cars, then its important to use that reach for a good cause too.
It's been seven years since he co-founded the crowdfunding platform Ketto.
"At Ketto we try and raise money for pretty much everything, from disaster relief, NGOs, for patients who need money for treatments, for filmmakers wanting to make a film or a dancer who needs it for his or her art. It's a wide spectrum we cater to," Kunal told IANS.
For him, crowdfunding is a very powerful tool.
"It is democratisation of the capital. Going forward what I think would be exciting for us would be raising money for scientific breakthroughs, research, infrastructure projects or things that the government or industrialists aren't able to provide bandwidth to.
"If people can come together to raise funds for disaster relief, there is no reason why people won't come together for scientific breakthroughs or infrastructure projects or research and development etc. That according to me would be very exciting," said the "Rang De Basanti" actor.
Should all the celebrities use their power to spread awareness about something significant that affects people?
"Absolutely! I feel as celebrities if you can endorse colas, sell clothes and cars, then it's important to use that reach for a good cause. As celebrities, you have the power to reach out to people and I think it's important to use that power with certain responsibility as well," said Kunal.
In May, he had spread awareness about thalassemia. This month, he teamed up with Mount Litera School International for the same cause.
"It is endearing to know that Mount Litera School International and its students are undertaking a campaign to create awareness and help thalassemia patients. A thalassemia major patient needs blood transfusion as much as every 15 days and one can only imagine the financial complications it brings to the patient's family besides emotional distress.
"Their aim is to raise funds through Ketto and from those funds purchase and supply medical supplies for as many thalassemia patients as they can," said Kunal.
As for movies, he recently featured in "Noblemen", which dealt with issues like bullying, toxic masculinity and homophobia. Has it become his agenda to star in films that have messages for the audience?
"No, not necessarily. For me, the best kind of a film is the one that entertains you as well as educates you. A film where once you leave the theatre, you are not only entertained, but also thinking of questions that you haven't thought of before. So, for me, if the film is such a combination, it's an ideal film and those are the films I love to do. But I know that's not always possible," he said.
He is excited about his next, "Koi Jaane Na".
"It's a unique film and a role I haven't done before. It's basically a thriller meets comic book and it's a space I have been wanting to explore for a long time. I was thrilled on reading the script because no one had offered me such a part. I am excited to know what people would think of the film," said the "Hattrick" actor.
There is a biopic in the pipeline too.
"It's a little early to be talking about it. I think it's a great time for a creative person, an actor, a director, a producer because we lived in a time in the '90s and early 2000s where we were telling a lot of NRI stories; now we are telling stories that really come from our land, small towns and heroes of our country. I am quite excited about this biopic and hopefully, we can make an announcement about it soon," he said.
He is also making his directorial debut. "I am working on a short film. The story is such that it doesn't need many dialogues. I am currently writing it and it's a story I have been wanting to tell for a long time now," shared Kunal.
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