Kush Kazemi

Kush Kazemi
EastEnders character
Portrayed by	Davood Ghadami
Duration	2014–2021
First appearance	Episode 4945 20 October 2014
Classification	Present; regular (departing)
Introduced by	Dominic Treadwell-Collins
Spin-off appearances	The Queen Vic Quiz Night (2020)
In-universe information Occupation Market trader Doorman Father Umar Kazemi Mother Carmel Kazemi Brothers Darius Kazemi Shakil Kazemi Wife Safirah Kazemi (backstory) Shabnam Masood (2015–2016) Sons Zaair Kazemi Arthur Fowler

Khoroush "Kush" Kazemi, played by Davood Ghadami, made his first appearance on 20 October 2014. He is a friend of Martin Fowler (James Bye). The character and casting were announced on 19 August 2014, when it was said the character was a "good guy" who is "funny and full of energy". He is said to have a "brash exterior" underneath which hides "a tragic past that he is keen to escape from". Ghadami said of his casting, "I'm so excited to be joining the cast of EastEnders as I've been a fan of the show for as long as I can remember." The name Kush is short for Khoroush. It was confirmed on 26 September 2020 that Ghadami would be leaving the show in the new year with his final scenes airing in May/June 2021.

Davood Ghadami has portrayed Kush Kazemi since 2014.

Kush causes disruption on his first day by trying to drive his van down Bridge Street, but ultimately makes friends due his casual nature. He is attracted to Shabnam Masood (Rakhee Thakrar), despite her coy nature, and helps with the cooking for her brother Tamwar's (Himesh Patel) birthday to impress her. Kush helps Martin's wife Sonia Fowler (Natalie Cassidy) to arrange a nude charity calendar, and convinces her by walking naked through the market. As they bond over the idea, Sonia attempts to kiss him, and then admits that she is having trouble in her marriage. Kush encourages her to forget about it, and later takes part in the charity calendar along with Sonia. In an attempt to give Shabnam some Christmas spirit, he kisses her, but keeps this from his friends. Kush pushes Shabnam on her feelings for him, and she later has a one-night stand with him as she is upset over losing her job. She rejects him after, feeling guilty for betraying her religious views, until Kush convinces her to start a relationship. They keep it a secret, until Stacey Branning (Lacey Turner) rumbles them and they decide to tell Shabnam's family. However, Shabnam's father Masood Ahmed (Nitin Ganatra) hears it from Donna Yates (Lisa Hammond) first, and is angry at them for keeping it a secret. Shabnam persuades Masood to accept them but ends up lying that Kush has proposed to her. When he tells her that it is happening too fast, as they have only been dating a short while, Shabnam is devastated at her actions and Masood throws him out. Afterwards, Kush confides in Martin that he is not ready for another marriage after the death of his first wife, Safirah. At Donna's 30th birthday party, he gets drunk and when Shabnam tries to talk to him, he tells her that he is still grieving over the loss of his wife. Eventually, Shabnam admits that she does not want to get married; she only lied about the proposal because she loves him. They decide to take things more slowly. Masood comes round to this, but tells them that he does not want to see Shabnam getting heartbroken. However, Kush later proposes to Shabnam after learning of her daughter from Stacey, whom he had earlier kissed.

After kissing Stacey a second time and regretting it, Kush finds out that Shabnam is five months pregnant with their child. He has initial doubts about this, but they soon begin planning their wedding. Seven months into her pregnancy, Shabnam's baby dies, leaving Kush heartbroken. Shabnam gives birth to their son, Zaair, but Kush is unable to cope and leaves the room. He visits Zaair later, cuddling him and telling him how proud he is. Shabnam and Kush argue because he was not there for her and she plans to move to Pakistan, while he considers returning to Essex with Carmel. However, Carmel and Masood get them to reunite. Shabnam rearranges their wedding, hoping that being married will help them gain custody of her daughter Jade Green (Amaya Edward). Kush thinks they are marrying for the wrong reasons, but they agree that they love each other and want to marry. Before the wedding, Shabnam tells Kush that Stacey's baby is not Martin's, and Stacey tells him she thinks he could be the father. Stacey swears a reluctant Kush to secrecy and he marries Shabnam and departs with her for their honeymoon. When Kush and Shabnam return, Kush learns on the day of Jade's hearing that Shabnam took Jade without permission. Kush and Shabnam decide not to go for custody of Jade when they realise they have not come to terms with Zaair's death.

When Stacey's son Arthur Fowler is born, Shabnam thinks Kush could be the father from his behaviour, and confronts Stacey, worried she will lose her husband, but Stacey tells her he is not the father, so Shabnam finds Kush and passionately kisses him. However, Shabnam later hears Kush talking to Carmel about Arthur being his son, and Shabnam begins to re-evaluate her marriage. She wants to tell Martin the truth about Arthur's paternity, but when Stacey's mental condition worsens, she and Kush agree to wait and Kush vows to prioritise Shabnam over Arthur. Kush suggests to Shabnam that they move away, but she decides to leave on her own, urging Kush to stay for Arthur. Masood finds out about this and Arthur's paternity, so punches Kush and threatens to kill him if he comes near Shabnam again, and tells him that Shabnam has already decided to leave Walford. Kush then breaks down in Carmel's arms, thinking he has lost Shabnam for good. Despite Kush's pleas, Shabnam leaves Walford with Jade after planting a tree in Zaair's memory, telling Kush that they must lead separate lives, but she still loves him. Kush then starts drinking heavily and Martin finds out that Kush is Arthur's father. Stacey tells Kush that he can be a part of Arthur's life, but Martin disagrees and breaks his friendship with Kush. An emotional Kush has sex with Nancy Carter (Maddy Hill), but she suffers an epileptic fit in his bed. Kush calls Nancy's former boyfriend, Tamwar, who calls Kush selfish. Kush realises he is a bad role model so tells Stacey and Martin that he wants nothing to do with Arthur. Tamwar calls Carmel, who agrees to move in with Kush. Carmel then reveals to Kush that his father has sold their house and she is homeless.

Kush develops feelings for Carmel's best friend Denise Fox (Diane Parish). They admit their feelings to each other and they have a brief fling, however, she ends it, fearing it will ruin her friendship with Carmel. Kush later discovers from Carmel that Denise is pregnant and believes he is the father, but Denise tells him he is not as she is 18 to 19 weeks pregnant. Kush later advises his younger brother Shakil Kazemi (Shaheen Jafargholi) when he wants to have sex with his girlfriend, Bex Fowler (Jasmine Armfield), who is Martin's daughter. When the explicit image Shakil sent to Bex goes viral around Shakil's school, Bex is blamed, even though Louise Mitchell (Tilly Keeper) was the one who sent it. This causes things to become fraught yet again between the Kazemis and the Fowlers.

Kush pursues Denise again but she turns him down due to her friendship with Carmel. However, when Kush is in the fish and chip shop after having a drink with Denise, Michelle Fowler (Jenna Russell) crashes into it, leaving him unconscious. Denise helps rescue Kush, and while he is in hospital, she admits her feelings for him and they start a relationship. Back home, Carmel interrupts Kush and Denise one morning, but assumes that Kush has met a doctor from the hospital, which he confirms. Denise tells Kush that they should admit to their relationship from the start, so they tell Carmel, who is shocked, and says that when the relationship ends, she would be forced to take Kush's side and would lose her friend forever. Kush asks Denise to move in with him but she declines where Kush accuses her of comparing him to her controlling ex-husband, Owen Turner (Lee Ross). Kush storms off and goes into cardiac arrest in the middle of the market, and is diagnosed with Brugada Syndrome. Denise regrets rejecting him and spontaneously proposes to him in the hospital; he accepts. Later, Kush's other brother, Darius Kazemi (Ash Rizi), offers him work in Dubai but Kush and Carmel are left devastated when Shakil, while returning a stolen bike taken by his friend, dies after being stabbed by a gang.

When Kush and Denise end their relationship, he begins having a secret sexual relationship with Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace). The pair decide to keep it a secret due to the complicated relationship Kush has with the Slaters and Fowlers, but when they are caught having sex, they admit to being together. When Kush sees Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty) being harassed on a balcony by Leo King (Tom Wells), he rushes to her defence, and accidentally pushes Leo over the balcony.

Reception

Ghadami was nominated for Best Newcomer at the British Soap Awards in 2015 for his portrayal as Kush, but lost out to Doctors' Jessica Regan, who plays Niamh Donoghue.

In August 2017, Ghadami was longlisted for Sexiest Male at the Inside Soap Awards. He made the viewer-voted shortlist. On 6 November 2017, Ghadami won the "Sexiest Male" accolade.