Jitendra Kumar, the multifaceted actor celebrated as ‘Jeetu Bhaiya’ in Kota Factory and ‘Sachiv ji’ in Panchayat, has captured Indian audiences with his nuanced performances and refreshing presence on screen. Basking in the success of two consecutive streaming hits, Jitendra discusses his journey—from the corridors of IIT to the heart of Bollywood—in a recent conversation with Vaibhav Munjal on The Longest Interview podcast on Audible. We bring you five key takeaways from his conversation on the podcast—read on to discover the untold stories that defined his path to stardom!
About his recent release Panchayat S3 and his experience shooting
Jitendra says, “I think Panchayat makes me nostalgic. Mai hamesha nostalgia mein rehta hu and Panchayat is that for me. Gaon mein shoot karna difficult hota tha because waha ka weather extremes mein rehta hai…Par jab Mumbai waapas aate ho tab lagta hai ki kab waapas shoot karenge gaon jaa ke?”
English Translation: “It is difficult to shoot in the village because the weather is extreme but once you’re back in the city, you keep wondering when you will go back to the village for the next shoot.”
About his favourite character from Panchayat
He quickly shares, “Durgesh Kumar. I think Bhushan, woh rockstar hai. Maza aata hai unko dekhne mein. Shuru se hi unke character ko interesting banaya hai. I look forward to watching him on screen. Jab bhi woh aate hai aur perform karte hein tab pura crew bhi enjoy karta hai. Everybody enjoys his performance on set also.”
English Translation: “Durgesh Kumar. I think the character of Bhushan is a rockstar. His character has been interesting right from the beginning and it is fun to watch him. Whenever he performs, the entire crew enjoys watching him.”
About how the acting bug bit him
He shares, “Jo addiction ya interest aaya filmo ka, yeh mainly Kota wali aadatein hai, 20 din padhaai ki aur puri raat cybercafe mai shutter down kar ke baith gaye. Ek website mili thi jaha 1958 se leke 2008 tak ki filmein thi, waha se dhoondta tha mai. Toh IIT mai maine har tarah ki Bollywood film dekhi hai.”
English Translation: “My interest in films developed when I was in Kota. I studied for 20 days and spent the entire night in the cyber cafe with the shutter down. This is when I found a website that had films from 1958-2008. So, at IIT I watched all kinds of Bollywood films.”
About some cinematic masterpieces that have left an indelible mark on his life
“Sholay, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Satya, aur Gangs of Wasseypur. Yeh 4 aisi filmein hein jo har decade ko define kiya hai. Inse pehle kuch alag type ki filmein banti thi. Post-Sholay kuch alag tareeke ki banti thi. Post-Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge kuch alag tareeke ka romance shuru hua. Post-Satya ek alag realism aaya, alag tareeke ke faces dikhne lagey…phir hum kahin lost ho gaye filme banate banate…and then finally Gangs of Wasseypur came,” he highlights how these films breathed new life into the industry and heralded a new era of storytelling.
English Translation: “Sholay, Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, Satya, and Gangs of Wasseypur are four films that have redefined each decade of Indian cinema. The films that were made post the release of Sholay were different. The release of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge marked the beginning of the romance era. The film Satya led to the creation of more realistic content after which new talent started coming up and Gangs of Wasseypur hit it home with its content and a new genre of filmmaking.”
About his love for cricket
He says, “I have been a supporter of Royal Challengers Bangalore from the start. Jo mere favourite players uss time pe (Rahul) Dravid, (Anil) Kumble, Zaheer (Khan), (Daniel) Vettori, (Chris) Gayle, (Virat) Kohli, AB De Villiers, jo saare hamesha favourite rahe hai aur jinka game dekhne mein maza aata hai, wo RCB mein the. Isliye wo hi exciting team lagti thi mujhe.” On being asked how it feels to be an RCB fan, he says, “Bohot ganda lagta hai, kabhi lagta hai phone tod do. Har season mein hope deke kuch ajeeb ho jaata hai (laughs).”
English Translation: “All my favourite cricketers from the time – Dravid, Kumble, Khan, Vettori, Gayle, Kohli, AB De Villiers were a part of the RCB team and I enjoyed watching their game. This is why I found that team the most exciting.” On being asked how it feels to be an RCB fan, he says, “I feel very bad when the team doesn’t qualify for the finals. It’s almost like I want to break my phone. Every season I feel hopeful for their victory but it falls apart towards the end.”
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