Ahead of his big Independence Day release Gold, Kunal Kapoor tells you to ‘Be Kind to All Kind’, creating awareness about the ongoing TV-cum-web series Dodo Heroes (airs every Friday at 9pm on Animal Planet), dedicated to the welfare of stray animals. 

Dodo Heroes appears to be more than a TV show. What is it about?

Dodo Heroes is an eight-episode show which has tied up with Animal Planet to do something for animals and animal rights. The show tells the story of those who have gone beyond the call of duty for animal rights. 

Please share a few stories.

For example, there is this American soldier posted in Afghanistan who wanted to help a litter of puppies affected by the war. But army rules prevented him. So he turned to a British marine and his girlfriend for help. They have set up an animal shelter called Nowzad, Afghanistan’s first official animal sanctuary, which has so far rescued 150 animals from the streets of Kabul. They are now trying to transport the puppies to Texas to reunite them with the soldier. Then there is an NGO called Animal OrthoCare which makes prosthetics and orthotic braces for animals. They even made the world’s first elephant orthotic leg brace for Jabu, a 30-year-old elephant in Botswana. 

You have co-founded Keto, which is one of Asia’s biggest crowd-funding platforms. Is this part of this initiative?

No. Dodo Heroes is an international project for which the episodes are also streamed across the world on the Animal Planet website. The channel is raising money through an Indian initiative called Be Kind to All Kind which helps Indian NGOs working with strays. The show gives the audience a chance to participate in the work by contributing to the NGOs. Through a link shared at the end of the show, you can donate as little as Rs 100. I have also shot a promo for this.

Do you have a pet?

Yes. A six-year-old called Simba who thinks he is a lion. He is a Shitzu, a little dog with a big heart.

Is he obedient?

Umm…Only when he wants to be. He is incredibly smart. He can pretend to be stupid when it suits him.

It’s been a busy day for you with the promotions for your upcoming release Gold (on the Indian hockey team’s historic win as a free nation at the 1948 Olympics).

Yes. We had the trailer launch today. It is a powerful story that surprisingly wasn’t told before. It has so much drama! I am playing Samrat, one of the players.

Did you have to learn to play hockey?

Yes. Reema (Kagti, the director) was very clear that we had to look like hockey players. We were trained for three months in India and a month in England by Michael Nobbs, who was the coach of the Indian team for a long time, and Sandeep Singh, a former captain. Our sports co-ordinator (Aimee McDaniel) has worked on Million Dollar Arm and Invictus.

So now you can hold your own in a hockey field?

I think so! We worked so hard. 

Who in the cast has picked up the most?

Vineet Singh was a player in school and college. Even Amit (Sadh) and Sunny (Kaushal) have picked up well. Michael watched us play and said we should play in the lower division leagues. 

Did Akshay Kumar not have to take hockey lessons?

No. He is the manager of the team. But knowing him, he would have enjoyed it. Whatever sport we play on the sets, volleyball or cricket, he is always a part. He is incredibly fit. He would have loved to have been a part of the team. 

What other projects have you been a part of?

I just finished a small indie film called Noblemen. It is on bullying in school and a child who is coming to terms with his sexuality. I play a drama teacher the children are fond of as he believes education should be imparted in a different way. We need to address issues that we let slip under the carpet in boarding schools. But the story is told in an entertaining way. It is doing the rounds of festivals and getting a lot of appreciation.

Aren’t you also doing a film on a comic book hero?

Yes, I am very excited about it. The film is being scripted. The character is called Doga. It is based on one of the highest-selling comic books in Hindi. It is also being translated in English. He doesn’t have a superpower as such other than strength and speed. He is trained in various sorts of martial arts. I am already training for it.

Are you also doing a biopic of Amar Singh Chamkila, the slain Punjabi singer?

It is on hold right now as we had some problems with the rights. It’s a great story. I’d like to tell it at some point.

Are you also into writing?

Yes. I am co-developing a whole bunch of scripts. Writing is something that comes naturally to me. For the last 15-20 years, I have been penning stories. Now I am turning them into scripts. You know, as an actor, sometimes you don’t get the characters you want to play. So instead of sitting and waiting for them to come to you, I asked myself what are the stories I want to be a part of. Those are what I am developing. 

Do you see yourself turning director?

I would love to direct at some point. I started as an assistant director (AD). I spent two years in advertising, then three years assisting. 

Which films did you assist on?

I was AD to Rakeysh Mehra for Aks. When Rang De Basanti was being written, I was an AD there too. 

And then one day someone spotted you on the sets and said: ‘Beta, camera ke saamne aa jao?’

(Laughs) No, no. It wasn’t that easy. I went to Delhi to do theatre with Barry John. When I came back, I did a film called Meenaxi. Then I had to do five screen tests before Rakeysh was convinced about me. I want to act in more films. So right now, I am happy with the two hats I am wearing, as actor and writer. The third hat (direction) can wait.