Kush Kazemi is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Davood Ghadami. Ghadami's casting was announced in August 2014 before Kush was introduced by executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins in episode 4945, broadcast on 20 October 2014, as a friend of established character Martin Fowler (James Bye). Kush was created to be a new main character who would "spice up" Albert Square and was initially billed as a hunky, energetic, funny, and kind-hearted market trader who masked a tragic backstory.
Across his stint, his storylines focused on his various romances and flings with female characters such as Shabnam Masood (Rakhee Thakrar), Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner), Denise Fox (Diane Parish), Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace), and Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty). In September 2020, it was announced that Ghadami had left the soap after over six years, with the character being killed-off in episode 6257, broadcast on 19 April 2021, where he is pushed in front of an oncoming train by Gray Atkins (Toby-Alexander Smith). Ghadami received multiple awards and nominations for his performance and Kush's character was generally praised for his good-natured personality; However, he was often deemed to be underused and the character's death scene was panned by critics.
Creation and introduction
The character was announced on 19 August 2014, where he was "set to cause a big stir in Walford" as he would open a stall at Walford's market, sparking a competitive rivalry with Kat Moon (Jessie Wallace). Kush is initially billed as a "good guy" who is "funny and full of energy", but hides a tragic past underneath his "brash exterior". Executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins explained that the show's bosses had "had Kush in [their] minds for a while" prior to the character's announcement, envisioning him as "a new leading man to spice up the market and set some female hearts fluttering". Treadwell-Collins also teased that it wouldn't be long before he had a female character "firmly in his sights". When asked about Kush's character, Ghadami said that the viewer would quickly get a "good idea" of Kush's personality, saying that the character originated from Essex and was a bit of an "Essex boy". He added that Kush is a "genuinely a nice guy [...] and he wants to get on with people", despite adding that Kush would "ruffle feathers" around Walford at first.
Kush is established to have connections in Walford, namely Sonia Fowler (Natalie Cassidy), as he was once close friends with her husband Martin (James Bye). Ghadami said of Kush's introduction that "He turns up on the Square and is setting up a market stall. He's in direct competition with a few others on the market. That's not a bad thing, though – there are some interesting relationships there and he manages to ruffle a few feathers from very early on". When talking about the character's relationship with the Masood family, Ghadami revealed that they would be present during his character's first scene and that Kush would get along well with Masood Ahmed (Nitin Ganatra) and begin an unexpected relationship with Shabnam Masood (Rakhee Thakrar). Speaking of the relationship, Ghudami said "His personality isn't completely compatible with Shabnam's and early on that shines through. He doesn't see it as a bad thing though and kind of enjoys it. He likes to speak his mind which isn't always appreciated".
Speaking of his role, Ghadami said he was "excited to be joining the cast of EastEnders" as he had been a fan of the show for a very long time. He continued by calling it "surreal" to work with actors that he had "spent so many evenings watching on television". Treadwell-Collins added that Ghadami was a "brilliant actor and a proper gentleman". Ghadami felt that Kush's personality similar to his own, which he commented was "easy to bring to the role". Kush went on to make his first appearance on 20 October 2014.
Development Romance with Shabnam Masood Relationship, stillbirth and marriage The relationship between Kush and Shabnam was first teased in December 2014, as Fatboy (Ricky Norwood) would challenge Kush to kiss her. Shabnam would initially be hesitant to embark on a relationship with Kush, causing her father to berate her for not having fun. Thakrar teased in early January 2015 that Kush would "tame" Shabnam, explaining that her character "doesn't want to want Kush because he is not the type of guy she would go for" as he is "cheeky and frivolous". Thakrar noted that during the early stages of Kush and Shabnam's relationship, her co-stars would sometimes tell her to "give him a chance". It was announced in late January 2015 that the characters would begin their relationship after sharing their first kiss. Thakrar revealed that the storyline of Kush and Shabnam's relationship was loosely based on the 1999 romantic comedy film 10 Things I Hate About You. Ghadami and Thakrar appeared on the ITV talk show Good Morning Britain to discuss the kiss after it aired. They believed the show had built up to it well and teased that there was more to come for the couple in the near future. In March 2015, the previously concealed relationship would become public knowledge in the Square.
Ghadami explained that Kush being a "nice guy" and Shabnam being a "hard nut to crack" was the base of their relationship, as his character enjoyed looking for Shabnam's more vulnerable side. Thakrar believed that Shabnam would eventually adopt Kush's more laid-back nature. The show announced that Kush and Shabnam would hold their engagement party in June 2015, with Shabnam's secret that she had a daughter, Jade Green (Amaya Edward), the whole time set to be revealed. Thakrar explained that Shabnam wanted the event to be "low key" and that Shabnam wanted a family more than marriage. During the engagement party, Kush proposed marriage to Shabnam, which Thakrar deemed "really romantic". Shabnam was announced to become pregnant from Kush in June 2015. In August 2015, the show announced that their baby was stillborn, with a stoyline focusing on Kush and Shabnam's grief set to follow. The storyline was described as "heartbreaking" before it commenced. The show worked with the charity Sands to help portray the story accurately. Despite struggling with the trauma of the ordeal, Shabnam remained excited to marry Kush, hastily planning the event.
Affair with Stacey Slater
In May 2015, during Kush and Shabnam's engagement, Kush kissed Stacey Branning (Lacey Turner). Thakrar joked that she was "jealous" of Kush and Stacey's fling and that she was shocked when Treadwell-Collins told her about it. Ghadami noted that Thakrar could not look at or talk to him the same way after he shot the scenes with Turner, due to each actor's closeness with their character, as Thakrar added, laughing: "He came to me afterwards and I'd be like, 'Don't look at me'". The affair would result in Stacey becoming pregnant at the same time as Shabnam, believing her fiancé Martin Fowler was the father. Kush and Stacey's son, Arthur Fowler (Hunter Bell), was born in December 2015, with Martin and Shabnam set to discover the truth in January 2016. Thakrar made an unannounced exit in February 2016, as the affair with Stacey caused her character to no longer trust Kush and seek a fresh start. Thakrar explained the reasoning behind her character's decision to leave was because "she knows too well you can only avoid your child's [Jade's] existence for so long, and actually it's very damaging. She loves Kush, and when you truly love someone you do what's right for them, even if they don't know it at the time. Not to mention what it'd be like for Arthur to grow up not knowing the truth about his own blood. It's the right thing to do, and she wants to make things right".
Connection with Carmel Kazemi In April 2015, the show announced that Kush's mother, Carmel Kazemi (Bonnie Langford), would join the show. She was described as a "loud and embarrassing" mother. Ghadami commented that he believes Kush and Carmel work well together and that Kush was used to having "strong women around him" as a result. Treadwell-Collins described the relationship between Kush and Carmel as Carmel being "A thoroughly modern Essex divorcée who isn't quite ready to cut the apron strings firmly attached to her son Kush. Even if it means clashing spectacularly with an already prickly Shabnam." The BBC Website detailed "Family is everything to Carmel – after her relationship ended badly with Umar, her husband, she is determined to ensure her 'little Kushy' settles down with the right woman". After Carmel became promoted to series regular, Ghadami hoped Kush's father Umar would also be introduced, teasing "We may well meet Kush's father at some point in the future. He's certainly there in the background, because of the way in which Carmel has come to Walford. But casting him would be a tough task, wouldn't it? Particularly after how well Bonnie has fitted in". He added that "if Kush's dad were ever to turn up, then bring it on! It would add another great aspect to Kush and Carmel's relationship".
Problem gambling and robbery Throughout 2020, Kush became the centre of a storyline about problem gambling. The gambling storyline caused Kush to fall deep into debt. Ghadami explained that Kush enjoyed the "buzz" of gambling and that "He genuinely believes he's got what it takes to beat other people". The actor suggested that Kush's addiction was born as "certain people can get drawn to certain things to get by – even if you have a slight sensitivity towards something". He added that: "Being in a situation like lockdown is going to exacerbate that problem, With Kush, he found that little buzz that he was looking for. That little escape that maybe he needed. And one thing leads to another. It got to the point where it got a bit serious and he started to feel that buzz more strongly than he was expecting". Ghadami also noted that Kush didn't know he had an issue, believing his character was in denial.
In an attempt to fix his financial issues, Kush embarked on a robbery with the Mitchell family. The storyline saw Kush turn himself in to the police afterwards, which Ghadami attributed to Kush's love for his son, explaining: "I think Kush would rather serve his time and still see his son than to be on the run for the rest of his life, when it comes to it, he has a lot of love for his boy and I don't think he wants to miss seeing him grow up". After Kush was detained, Ghadami addressed that Kush was "caught between a rock and a hard place" between Arthur and doing the right thing.
Final fling and departure
In September 2020, the show announced that Ghadami would depart from the show after six years as his contract wouldn't be renewed in 2021. Ghadami was informed of the news in January 2020. Kush's departure was set to be the culmination to a "huge plot" set to unfold "well into" 2021, with a show insider explaining: "Bosses have a huge plot planned, but although Davood was told in January, his departure is not for a very long time yet. In fact Kush will be on screen until well into 2021. It's a shame and he will be missed by everyone at Elstree but sometimes the cost of having a big storyline means losing big characters". Kush began dating Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty) in February 2021, to the rage of Gray Atkins (Toby-Alexander Smith), who had developed an obsession with Whitney beforehand. After Gray and Whitney had a shotgun wedding, and as Gray had murdered two characters, viewers feared Kush would also succumb to the same fate as his exit was on the horizon. The suspicions would prove to be correct as Gray would kill Kush by pushing him in front of a train after accusing him of ruining Whitney's life.