The actor on his journey from IIT to sketch comedies to riding the digital wave
Kunal Guha (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 5, 2020)

When Jitendra Kumar essayed a gay character in Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan earlier this year, many found the actor’s choice rather bold. But the 29-year-old, who shot to fame with digital sketch comedies and series such as Pitchers, Bachelors, Kota Factory and Cheesecake, felt the film qualified as “important content”.

“I hope such stories, and the intention with which they were made, reach a larger audience,” says Kumar, who admits that his two lockdown releases, Panchayat and Chaman Bahaar, were both banking on the Ayushmann-starrer to elevate him to a household name despite his big screen debut with Gone Kesh last year. “When you’re starting out, you sometimes can’t refuse work because you have to survive. But I’ve learnt that if you focus, and are patient, you can find recognition and also get the roles that you believe in.” Considering the actor has recently become a digital sensation, keeping at it, perhaps, pays handsomely.

During the Coronavirus lockdown, Kumar, unlike many, hasn’t rekindled his culinary passion, but has been just “cooking for survival”. “I am very lazy, so I knead aata for two or three days at a go, and can make two rotis in one minute,” says the actor, who takes pride in whipping up dal tadka, egg curry, aloo shimla mirch and bhindi. Kumar credits his survival skills to his days in the NCC camps he attended in school, where he also learnt to cook on an open fire pit.

Surprisingly, Kumar’s formative years in Rajasthan’s Khairthal were singularly insular and his access to the world of entertainment was largely restricted to the small screen. “My childhood was all about cricket, cooking and studies. We usually watched Doordarshan, but during summer breaks, we would have a dish installed, and watch whatever played on the cable channels,” he says. “Back then, I never thought that I would ever become an actor or even visit Mumbai.”

A civil engineer from IIT Kharagpur, Kumar shares that he was initially drawn to acting while participating in college plays. “In IIT, we’re told to keep up with extracurriculars, so I took to the stage.” It is here that Kumar also met his college senior Biswapati Sarkar — someone who he would later collaborate with — who went from helming college plays to writing sketches for TVF, a digital content outfit, which began producing content for YouTube in the early days of web streaming in India.

Kumar remembers diving into the digital scene just after college, in 2012, spreading himself thin by straddling acting, numerous production jobs and assisting gigs. “Initially, I was unsure if this was my calling, so I gave it up in three months and took up a job with a construction company in Bangalore.” But nine months on, Kumar knew that he wasn’t cut out for civil engineering either. This is when one of his older sketches Munna Jazbaati dropped online and was received well... just enough to nudge him to face the camera again.

It helped that apart from numerous digital skits, he also bagged the show Change Aayega, Hum Laayenge (Bindaas), which was also sufficient to convince his parents of his career choice. “When they saw me on TV, they were assured of my skills,” he says. “Since my father is also a civil engineer, he understood that if I wasn’t interested in it, I wouldn’t do a good job.”

That Kumar joined the digital wave just before it became a rage also helped him get a firm foothold in the medium. “I literally saw digital content grow. And when Permanent Roommates became a hit, it changed the rules of the game and, in a way, helped establish the burgeoning industry.” The IIT-ian only featured in one episode of the show, but was convinced of its potential and reach by the overwhelming response the show garnered.

Today, Kumar feels blessed for having shared the screen with masters of the craft such as Raghubir Yadav and Gajraj Rao and feels that he’s picked up a lot from closely following their process. “When you see such actors approach a certain character through their iterations with writers and filmmakers, you learn about the different ways of internalising a character,” says the actor, who also credits acting workshops for sharpening his craft. “I am yet to develop the instinct of an actor, but that will come with time too, I hope.”

Kavita Awaasthi (HINDUSTAN TIMES; June 25, 2020)

After starring in the feature film Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan (SMZS) that released in February, his web show, Panchayat, was well received, too, and the current positive response for his digital film Chaman Bahaar — actor Jitendra Kumar is no doubt on a roll. He says all of these were interesting projects and a blessing. “I don’t have a strategy and I make organic choices. I became an actor to act, so I try to pick the best from what is offered. The idea is to do different and interesting stories, which is happening. The credit goes to the audiences as they are enjoying and consuming different stories, which encourages us to make them,” says the actor, adding, “When people reacted to SMZS, I realised how important the film was to so many people which I didn’t know while shooting, as I was busy focusing on my craft. Films have a wide reach with a major chunk of family audience, while web shows are consumed more by people between the ages of 17 to 35.”

Kumar admits that there are certain risks “when one is trying to attempt different stories” but thankfully many OTT platforms are backing good content. “Now is the time to create content that one hasn’t seen before or that was maybe thought of as too different. A number of writers and directors are working in that direction, as many producers do support such ideas,” he says.

Like many in the industry, Kumar, too, has been affected by Sushant Singh Rajput’s demise. He feels, “Mental stress is in every industry. We have to work towards removing stigma around mental health. I feel, the support of family and friends is crucial in life and not just when you have anxiety or depression. One should share happiness and sadness with family and close friends. Before the lockdown, we were all running after fame, money and career and to prove ourselves in society. And while the lockdown has been tough on everyone, we also learnt how to be good to ourselves and appreciate our families and slow down a bit.”

With the Coronavirus pandemic, the actor admits the situation is worrisome. “We are all in this together and have to win over the outbreak collectively. We all want to go out there and work. I have been working on ideas and projects with people and will be ready to start soon, once things get better. But no one can say for sure how life will be post the lockdown,” he wonders.

Internet star Jitendra Kumar on how Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan and Panchayat changed the game for him
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; June 23, 2020)

It all started with an innocent bet after watching Amazon Prime's Panchayat, headlined by the delightful Jitendra Kumar. In one of the episodes, he has to let go of a chair that he holds close to his heart. At the end of the episode, his boss Sarpanch-ji brings a similar chair into the office. As my friend and I placed a bet on whether it was a new chair or not, we called the one man who would know the answer. Kumar incidentally is in the midst of promoting his Netflix film, Chaman Bahar, which tells the story of unrequited love. "My character aspires to run a paan shop and the film traces the reality of one-sided love. We've set the story in Chhattisgarh, complete with its local dialect and flavour," he says.

Kumar forayed into Bollywood earlier this year with Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan. As an actor balancing both mediums, where does he stand on the OTT-versus-theatre debate? "The theatre experience can't be replicated. How do you shrink a Baahubali to a 13-inch screen? But, some stories reach better on OTT. For instance, people had missed Gone Kesh when it had released, but the film grabbed eyeballs on Amazon. On the other hand, Shubh Mangal is for community viewing where people can hoot, laugh and cry together."

Though Kumar was already a bona fide Internet star, he agrees that Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan brought him mainstream appeal, and in turn, gave a boost to Panchayat. "Earlier, 15 to 35-year-olds would watch my work. After Shubh Mangal, aunties, mothers and uncles knew me, and that helped more people watch Panchayat. Their constant reference point was: 'Woh Shubh Mangal wala ladka hai iss show mein'. On some days, I wake up to long texts from fans who explain how the character resonated with them." The actor informs that the second season is in the works. "The writers are working on it."

Having started out with TVF sketches in 2012, Kumar was gradually perceived as the quintessential boy-next-door as small-town stories became a sub-genre into themselves. Ask him if he fears that his middle-class-boy act will get repetitive, and he reasons, "Am I stereotyped? Probably, but Aman Tripathi of Shubh Mangal is nothing like Sacheev in Panchayat. Small-town stories are far too many and we have just started to explore them on screen. If we write fresh material, I don't think we will run out of ideas. I came from IIT Kharagpur to Mumbai to become an actor. I was confident that in a month, I will have movies, and in a year, I will be a star. The reality was starkly different. Despite how long it took to reach here, I can say with complete faith that hard work and relentless effort are rewarded. My college friends still don't take me seriously as an actor, but I have a sense of contentment." In the wake of Sushant Singh Rajput's tragic demise, Kumar's is the much-needed story of an engineer from a small town who broke into Bollywood.

Of course, the chat will be incomplete without asking him about the chair. He laughs, "The Sarpanch buys himself a new chair to show the young city-bred boy who is the boss of the village!" That's a bet won, alright.

Acknowledging that co-star Jitendra Kumar has a 'more interesting arc' in Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan, Ayushmann says he was drawn to his part as it had agency
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; February 21, 2020)

For anyone who assumed that he spent weeks deliberating whether he should greenlight Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan, Ayushmann Khurrana bursts the bubble. "It was an easy decision to make because the script was funny and commercial," he reasons. However, the actor accedes that he bided his time before zeroing in on the character he would play in the same-sex love story. "Hitesh [Kewalya, director] had asked me to choose the role I want to play. Jitu's [Jitendra Kumar] character is in the closet, and hence, has a more interesting arc. But I didn't want to play the victim this time, I wanted to be the instigator. My character is confident about his sexuality. He is rare [in that regard] because he doesn't give a damn about [what society thinks of] his sexual orientation. I am okay playing a relatively smaller character."

As the building block for his part, the actor referred to Lie With Me by Philippe Besson, an acclaimed book about queer love. "I wanted to know what a gay man goes through daily. I met this guy called Sharif in Delhi, who explained to me that a heterosexual man can go anywhere and find someone to date. But how do you spot a gay man? It's difficult for them to find love."

Khurrana hopes the film will be an "induction for an average Indian homophobe." "With the film, we had to adopt an over-the-top approach to reach out to people. I wish people would say, 'Chalo apne ladke ke liye ladka dekhne chalte hai'. Realistically, that won't happen. But, as long as parents understand that their child has the right to live his truth, that's a big win. With this film, we have focused on how a family warms up to the idea of their son being gay."

Abhimanyu Mathur (BOMBAY TIMES; February 20, 2020)

Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan sees Ayushmann Khurrana play a homosexual character for the first time. He is paired opposite a relative newcomer, Jitendra Kumar, in the film (and also reunites with Badhaai Ho co-stars Neena Gupta and Gajraj Rao). But the actor is quick to point out the film is not another ‘Ayushmann film’ about a non-mainstream topic. It is different from anything he has done before, he maintains. We sit down with him to let him elaborate on that difference, why this film needed to be a family entertainer, and how he made sure to not let his character become caricature-ish. Excerpts:

When it comes to LGBTQ characters in Hindi films, there are two kinds of stories — either where they are comic relief or caricatures, or serious films that talk about homophobia, like Aligarh. In that, Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan has taken a new approach – a romcom with a gay lead pair...
It’s progressive. Let me first state that it is not a message-oriented film or some in-depth look at same-sex relationships. It is a comedy film. It is a family entertainer and we have primarily made the film like that because we want the families to watch the film with their kids. They will not feel iffy about it when they watch it. That’s the aspiration of the film, which is why it is more of comedy and less of romance between these two boys. The homophobe is the target audience here.

You say it is not a message-oriented film or an in-depth look at same-sex relationships, but a comedy. Is entertainment a better way of getting a message across as opposed to sermonising?
I think that’s the correct approach. We should not be preachy. At the same time, we have to normalise the same-sex relationship — the love story between two boys. More than the love story, it is about the reaction of the parents and the family, and how they react when they find out that their son is gay. I am playing the instigator in the film while Jitendra is the son. So this is a crazy comedy from the eyes of that family that is regressive but ultimately they have to accept things. This was the right time to make this film and send this message, too, particularly after the Supreme Court verdict on Section 377.

Has the verdict changed how the Indian society sees homosexuality? Is it easier to make mainstream romantic films on the issue now?
It was difficult to make such a film before the verdict. In the 90s, there was a film called Fire and right-wing activists tore down posters and burned the theatres. Today, the kissing scene (between the two leading men) is also a part of the film. Otherwise it was impossible. But yes, the sanction of the court has nothing to do with the sanction of the society. There is little acceptance for same-gender relationships. But this is definitely a step up. That’s why the film needed to be from the family’s perspective. Just like Badhaai Ho, in this film, the whole family is the hero.

The kiss between your and Jitendra’s characters in the film is being talked about a lot. A kiss in a heterosexual love story does not receive the same spotlight these days.
This was important for the film because we have to normalise it. I recently saw two boys kissing in a mall and then I realised, we are ready for it. We normally don’t see PDA between same-sex couples, but that happens abroad. That will happen in India also. It’s about basic human rights. People think that it is unnatural, abnormal because they are wired like that. So, acceptance is importance. Probably, this is the introduction to homosexuality for an average Indian homophobe. Right now we are discussing the same-sex kiss, and I think the next step will be that nobody will ask this question again when it happens in a film. Just like nobody asks a question about a heterosexual kissing scene anymore. Back in the ’90s if there was a kissing scene, there were a lot of questions, headlines, kitni kisses hain iss film mein and all that. In fact, just ten years ago, Emraan Hashmi ko lekar kissing scenes ke bare mein kitni baat hoti thi. Ab hoti hi nahi hai. Toh aisa hi hoga, jab same-sex relationship ko lekar film banegi aage, nobody will be asking about the kiss.

The film is shot in Varanasi and not a Delhi or Mumbai. Is that a conscious call to show that a same-sex relationship is not something that happens only in the metros, as it is still perceived by a large section of the society?
Most of my taboo-breaking or stigmabusting films are — by default — based in small towns and middle-class families. There is a reason behind it. For instance, my last film (Bala) was on baldness. People in urban India are already confident. They have ten other means to feel confident about themselves. The same is with sames-ex relationships. They are still acceptable in Delhi and Mumbai. We have gay pride parades in Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai and Kolkata. But you never see that in a Kanpur. That’s the reason. There is no conflict in the urban city because we are aware, we are woke. There is lack of awareness in small cities. When there is no conflict, there is no story. The conflict only arises in the small city in the middle-class.

You said you are the instigator here. Be it Bala, Badhaai Ho,or Dum Laga Ke Haisha, you have played victims or people who happen to face some tough situations. Here, we see you taking charge and making things happen.
(Laughs) They had given me a choice of picking up one of the characters. I chose this one because I thought I don’t want to be a victim anymore, let me be an instigator. This is a guy more confident about his sexuality and Jitendra’s character is still in the closet. He is the parallel lead and he has got a great arc in the film because he is the one who comes out and fights the family. It was a conscious decision to do this character, to have something different to do. He (Jitendra) is the subtle one and I’m the more flamboyant one.

In playing a gay character that you describe as ‘flamboyant’, how do you make sure that the portrayal is fun and yet does not become a caricature like the LGBTQ characters we have seen in mainstream films in the past?
See, one character in the film has to imbibe certain stereotypical features also. Like he (Jitendra) looks like a ‘regular’ heterosexual male, while I am the one with certain nuances to the character that are perceived as effeminate. I have a nose ring for example. But that is important for the masses to relate because unhone aisa bhi dekha hai. Relatability bhi chahiye and for that you have to use certain stereotypes, but without going over the top. You have to take the middle path.

Riya Sharma (BOMBAY TIMES; February 19, 2020)

He wanted to do an entertaining romantic film, and in Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan, Jitendra Kumar is doing exactly that. The only difference is, instead of romancing a girl, he will be romancing Ayushmann Khurrana. In a chat with us, Jitendra says that SMZS is actually a love story between two individuals with a family bhasad. From addressing homophobia in the film to his family’s reaction to his character, the actor talks about how the film aims to normalise same-sex relationships. Excerpts:

You play Ayushmann Khurrana’s love interest in Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan — was it a calculated risk?
There was no calculation. I got to know that the makers were thinking of casting me in a film on a same-sex relationship, I met them and read some scenes with our writer-director Hitesh Kewalya. Hitesh could see in me what he wanted from the character. Then, I met Aanand (L Rai, co-producer) sir, did one more reading and I was part of the film. I was more keen to know how the story has been written. They were sure that I was the right person to play the character but I wanted to know more about the story. When I got to know the entire story, I really enjoyed it. The most interesting part was how the topic (of same-sex relationship) was normalised visually in the film. Joh hum general ‘conventional’ romance dekhte hain between people of the opposite gender, waisa hi romantic feel iss couple ke saath hai.

Many actors talk about how certain roles can be emotionally draining. In the trailer, we can see your character being beaten and dealing with parental disapproval. You are going through the same emotions that many others go through when they come out to their families. How did you prepare for that emotionally, since your character did not require you to change physically?
I have a few friends who have come out to me. When I got to know their stories, I realised how badly they have been treated by their own family. Mujhe zyada pata nahi tha, par jab Section 377 pe verdict aaya I was shocked to know that having a same-sex relationship was considered a criminal activity till then. As far as the movie is concerned, jab bhi aap ek naya character karne ja rahe hote ho toh aap physically changes laate ho — the way you walk or talk. So I started watching videos of people who are open about their sexuality. While watching their interviews and talks, I also got to know about the pain they went through and I felt emotionally connected to them. Then I realised that there are many who are ‘normal’ in the way they talk and behave and I felt stupid that why was I even looking for such stereotypical things? In the script also, my character’s requirement was that he should look like any other boy.

In metros, people are becoming more open about same-sex relationships. How do you think people in small towns, like the one in which the film is set, will react to two men in love?
This film is about people who have homophobia. And we have no education on the topic. In our textbooks, we are only taught about reproduction with the opposite gender and we get to know about samesex relationships only through negative information. It has been seen as taboo for long, so obviously, people won’t accept it as something natural in a day. This story is about them. I think the movies that have been made so far on the topic have reached only those who already knew about it and were evolved. This might be the movie that reaches the small towns and cities of the country. Ek raat mein kuch nahi badlega par unhe ye zaroor feel hoga ki ek natural cheez hai. It is not even a choice, we say ‘It is a choice, let them do whatever they want to’. But it is natural for them to love people of the same gender. The audience will get to hear these things a lot in the film so I think the next time, they will be a bit more accepting if someone tells them that they are homosexual. People won’t be shocked, kyunki ye movie woh shock khatam karne ka kaam kar degi.

The film has been pitched as a rom-com but the topic is sensitive. How did you maintain a balance and make sure you didn’t offend anyone?
Hitesh had done that as part of the script. When we all heard the story, we felt it was like any other love story. Family ki bhasad hai par romance normal hai. There were a lot of discussions on the set, all of us would give inputs, add a particular word to a scene to normalise the topic.

Your kiss with Ayushmann is being talked about a lot. Why do you think it is such a big deal?
This is the first time the audience has seen something like this on the big screen, and it’s natural for them to react. I remember the kiss in Raja Hindustani (between Aamir Khan and Karisma Kapoor), people talked about it a lot as well. Whenever we see something new on the big screen that we are generally awkward to talk about, toh thodi baatein hoti hai. This is the first, and hopefully the last time, people talk about a kissing scene between two people of the same gender.

How did your family react to it?
When I was finalised to play this part, they got to know that I am doing a lead role in a romantic film, but thodi different romantic film. Of course, my parents were a bit awkward and they didn’t talk about it openly for two-three days, but they were happy. Later, we discussed it and they were okay with it. But I think log ab dheere-dheere evolve ho rahe hai. Jaise meri family, jo middle-class, small town se hai, unka reaction waisa nahi tha jaise maine socha tha. But it is okay for people till the time it is being shown in a movie or is happening with someone else. The real reaction would come when it would happen in our family, but ek raat mein nahi hoga, time toh lagega.

Vijay Ganguly on choreographing Yaar Bina Chain from Saaheb, which was directed by his father, for Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan
Sonia Lulla (MID-DAY; February 9, 2020)

During the shoot of Saaheb (1985), Vijay Ganguly, then five, would run about the set as his director father Anil Ganguly filmed Yaar Bina Chain with the movie's leads Anil Kapoor and Amrita Singh. Almost 35 years later, in a quirk of fate, Vijay found himself being appointed to choreograph the rehashed version of the song for Ayushmann Khurrana-starrer, Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan. "Initially, the team, including director Hitesh Kewalya, simply told me I would be working on a remix of Bappi da's [Lahiri] song, and that they were sure I would be excited about it. As soon as the track began, I was taken aback. I thought, what are the odds that of all the choreographers and all the songs, this one would come to me?" exclaims the choreographer, talking about the song that releases on Tuesday.

In keeping with the theme of the same-sex love story, the track—now titled Arrey pyaar kar le—has Khurrana romancing his on-screen love interest, Jitendra Kumar. "Since the song didn't have [the usual] guy-girl dynamics, there wasn't much that we could [use] from the original. So, we decided to [reference] the period instead. When my dad made the film, the unit went to Ballard Pier, used water, and employed the star filter that made water [droplets] look like light. So, we used the same filter for our song to [evoke a sense of nostalgia]. We also made Ayushmann recreate a step of Anil sir." He adds that Khurrana, delighted to learn of the coincidence, urged him to invite his mother and actor sister Rupali Ganguly to the shoot.


Vijay Ganguly with Bappi Lahiri on the set