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Kunal Vijayakar Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 29, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth19 May 1964

Age59 Years

BirthplaceMumbai, Maharashtra

ProfessionBroadcaster, Food writer, Actor, TV Personality, YouTuber

NationalityIndian

Marital statusUnmarried

FamilyMother - Nirmala; Sister - Anjali; Father - marine engineer (name not provided)

Kunal Vijayakar Biography

Kunal Vijayakar is an Indian broadcaster, food writer, actor and television personality known for hosting The Foodie and for his food-focused writing and v

Early life and background

Kunal Shrikrishna Vijayakar was born on 19 May 1964 in Mumbai, Maharashtra, and grew up around Mazagon Docks where his father worked as a marine engineer. He attended St. Mary’s School in Mumbai and later studied at Sir JJ School of Art, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts. From childhood he was drawn to food: family kitchens, handwritten recipes brought home by relatives and visits to notable South Mumbai restaurants helped shape his palate and interest in cooking.

As a student he struggled with science and spent extra time completing his school years before moving to art school. He has described early culinary experiments—making butter chicken at the age of 12 after falling in love with the dish—as formative moments that set him on a food-related path.

Career

Kunal began his working life in advertising and theatre, spending 11 years at the agency Da Cunha Associates as a copywriter and visualiser while also appearing in English plays and television commercials. His theatre connections led to a long-standing professional relationship with comedian and presenter Cyrus Broacha; the two met during a children’s theatre production in the early 1990s and later collaborated on multiple projects.

Transitioning into journalism and broadcasting, Kunal wrote humour and then food columns for publications including The Times of India, Bombay Times and other outlets. His shift to television came in 2006 when a Times Now show, The Foodie, gave him the platform to travel the country tasting and profiling regional foods. The Foodie ran for nine years and nearly 500 episodes, becoming one of the defining elements of his public profile.

On television Kunal has combined food presentation with comedy and satire. He was part of the satirical political programme The Week That Wasn’t on CNN News18, performing impressions and sketches alongside Cyrus Broacha. He has also worked as an actor, appearing in supporting roles across a range of Hindi films from the late 1990s through the 2020s, including Duplicate, Bollywood Calling, Paisa Vasool, Salaam Namaste, Ghajini and more recent credits such as Guilty, Hello Charlie and Shehzada.

Kunal has worked behind the camera as well: he directed MTV Bakra in 1999 and made his debut as a screenwriter and film director with the 2009 comedy Fruit and Nut. He has continued to write, producing a cookbook titled Made In India published in 2015 and maintaining columns and pieces for magazines and newspapers.

Food and teaching

Beyond television and print, Kunal has invested in food education. He founded the Kunal Vijayakar’s Academy for Culinary Arts in Mumbai, which offers instruction in cooking techniques, cuisines, food safety and presentation. In 2020 he launched a YouTube channel, Khaane Mein Kya Hai, where he continued exploring food topics; the channel had around 312,000 subscribers as of 2023. In 2023 he invited a political leader to appear on the channel for an episode featuring classic Delhi dishes.

Public profile

Kunal’s public persona blends food expertise with comic performance. He has a history of playing female and character roles on stage and screen, a practice he links to family theatrical traditions. He has collaborated repeatedly with Cyrus Broacha on comedy sketches, stage shows and televised satire; their friendship and working relationship spans decades.

His personal tastes and lifestyle choices are part of his public image: he has been a columnist and food writer for several major Indian newspapers and magazines and has worked with food personalities internationally. He has mentioned past smoking, which he has since quit, and has discussed periods of using sleeping pills earlier in life. He is known for a casual on-camera wardrobe that often includes shorts when reviewing restaurants or filming food segments.

Latest updates

In 2020 Kunal expanded his online presence with the Khaane Mein Kya Hai YouTube channel. In 2023 he made a guest appearance on Bigg Boss OTT Season 2 and continued his food writing and public engagements. He remains active across television, print and digital platforms while running his culinary academy and producing food-related content and events.
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Recent Work

Khaane Mein Kya Hai (YouTube channel)

Launched a food-focused YouTube channel in 2020; the channel had around 312K subscribers as of 2023 and featured food episodes including a 2023 episode with a guest visit.

2020-2023
Shehzada

Appeared in a supporting role in the 2023 Hindi film.

2023
Made In India (cookbook)

First cookbook, published by Jaico.

2015
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Career Highlights

  1. Host of The Foodie on Times Now, a show that ran for nine years and nearly 500 episodes
  2. Actor in numerous Hindi films including Ghajini, Salaam Namaste and Shehzada
  3. Wrote food columns for major Indian outlets and published a cookbook
  4. Directed MTV Bakra (1999) and wrote/directed the film Fruit and Nut (2009)
  5. Founded Kunal Vijayakar’s Academy for Culinary Arts in Mumbai
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Kunal Vijayakar born?

19 May 1964

What is Kunal Vijayakar known for?

Broadcaster, Food writer, Actor, TV Personality, YouTuber

What is Kunal Vijayakar’s marital status?

Unmarried