Mumbai: Actor-director Kunal Kemmu on Wednesday said approaching mother-in-law Sharmila Tagore for a cameo in his upcoming movie “Vibe” was a shot in the dark and she was gracious enough to do the part.
Kemmu, who is married to cinema icon Soha Ali Khan, recalled how his mother-in-law asked him for the film’s synopsis before saying yes.
“It was a shot in the dark. I asked her that there was this part, it was a cameo, and if she would play that part. And she said, ‘Can I know the synopsis of the film?’ So then I told her. And she said that was a trick question; she was going to do it anyway.
When asked if having Sharmila in the film was always part of the plan, Kunal admitted that he approached his mother-in-law without being sure if she would agree. He said, “With Sharmila ji, it was a shot in the dark. I asked her if she would play this part, which was a cameo, and she said, ‘Can I get the synopsis of the film?’ So, I gave her the synopsis, and she said that was just a trick question; I was anyway going to do it. So, she was gracious enough.”
Describing it as a personal milestone to direct Sharmila Tagore, Kunal said, “For me, it’s one of those checkboxes that I got to tick, something I never knew I would be able to. I am very happy, and I am very proud that I could call ‘action’ and ‘cut’ on a legend like her.”
Sharmila was last seen in the Bollywood film Break Ke Baad, which was released in 2010. While she was also part of Gulmohar, the film was released on OTT and not in theatres. This makes Vibe her comeback to the big screen in a Hindi film. In 2025, Sharmila made her return to Bengali cinema with Puratawn, which emerged as a box-office success and received critical acclaim.
About Vibe
After receiving praise for his directorial debut, Madgaon Express, Kunal is back with another directorial, Vibe. The official synopsis of the film reads, “Two hapless friends who can barely manage their own lives accidentally stumble upon a terrorist plot and suddenly find themselves responsible for saving the nation despite being completely unprepared for the task.”
Apart from Kunal in the lead role, the film also stars Sparsh Shrivastava, Preity G Zinta, Vanshika Dhir, Mark Bennington, Dinesh Lal Yadav and Yashpal Sharma in key roles. Backed by Kunal Kemmu and Chirag Nihalani under the banner of Drongo Films, the film is set to release in cinemas on September 18.
Talking about the film, Kunal said in a statement, “It’s a film packed with chases, danger, confusion, friendship, and a lot of bad decisions, which is probably a pretty accurate description of why I enjoyed making it so much.”
