Kunal Khemu was born on 25 May 1983 in Srinagar to actors Ravi Khemu and Jyoti Khemu. His parents are Hindus (Kashmiri Pandits). He studied in Mumbai’s Narsee Monjee College.
Kunal Khemu started his career as a child actor appearing in the television serial Gul Gulshan Gulfam in 1987.
Later on, he went on to appear as a child actor in films such as Hum Hain Rahi Pyaar Ke (1993) Raja Hindustani (1995) and Zakhm (1998). He received great praises by the audience and critics for his role in Zakhm.
He made his debut as a leading man in the 2005 film Kalyug which was both critically and commercially successful. The music of Kalyug fared extremely well. Songs such as "Jiya Dhadak Dhadak Jaye" sung by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and "Adaat" sung by Atif Aslam were one of the biggest hits of the year 2005 and are still running today. He is the protagonist of the film traffic signal released on 2 February 2007. He has also signed a film with Priyadarshan named Dhol.