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.

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.

Jitendra Kumar, actor’s love interest in a social comedy, on his first lead role in a Hindi film and how his co-star made it easier
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 31, 2020)

Joining the ever-growing tribe of engineering students-turned-Hindi film actors after Sushant Singh Rajput, Kartik Aaryan, Kriti Sanon and Vicky Kaushal, is Ayushmann Khurrana’s newest love interest.

After making his feature length debut with the Shweta Tripathi-starrer Gone Kesh, former civil engineering student Jitendra Kumar plays a leading man for the first time in Hitesh Kewalya’s Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan. The IIT Kharagpur alumnus rose in showbiz ranks after playing characters like Gittu (Permanent Roommates), Jeetu Bhaiya (Kota Factory), and Arjun Kejriwal, a spoof on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

The 30-year-old actor and Bollywood fan has been mimicking Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Nana Patekar, Akshay Kumar and Hrithik Roshan since his days as an IIT aspirant in Kota, the national hub of entrance exam prep. “But parodying the Delhi chief minister didn’t come easy. One day, I just happened to get the voice right and shot the video immediately. Even Kejriwal sir praised my acting skills,” smiles Jitendra, adding that he is happy to have moved on to explore other acting opportunities.

He was in Bhopal for a digital show when he was approached for Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan, which revolves around a same-sex couple. Jitendra says that he wasn’t apprehensive about the subject but wanted to know if the film was written responsibly. “I met Hitesh two months after the offer came along. When I heard the narration, I realised how simply things were explained to the families in the narrative. I instantly knew I wanted to be a part of the film,” the actor shares, adding, “I discovered later that even Ayushmann had been lobbying to get me on board.”

Jitendra had first met his National Award-winning co-star in 2009, when the latter visited the IIT campus as an MTV VJ to cover a cultural festival. The duo would reunite a few years later to work on two sketches during the promotions of Ayushmann’s earlier films, Nautanki Saala! and Hawaizaada. “We are both music lovers and I figured we would bond over that. But almost a week into the shoot, I realised I knew nothing about music; Ayushmann is the biggest music lover I know. He knows everything about a song, right from the lyricist to singer and the composer. But he was impressed when I introduced him to the soundtrack of this Malayalam film called Kumbalangi Nights. We had a lot of time on hand that day as the shoot was halted due to unexpected rains in Varanasi,” reminisces Jitendra.

There has been a lot of buzz around their kiss in the film. What was it like shooting for it? “I am a reserved person, but Ayushmann made me comfortable. He is easy to work with and is quite friendly,” Jitendra gushes.

Ask him about his expectations from the upcoming big screen turn, and the actor says, “I am playing lead parts in web shows as well, but the finances and economics there and in films are different. I hope Shubh… will result in more lead roles and good stories on the big screen. I know there will be struggle, but I am game,” he asserts.

Despite Cheesecake's success and a Bollywood film in his kitty, TVF star Jitendra Kumar on how it's a long road ahead to fame
Letty Mariam Abraham (MID-DAY; December 17, 2019)

After Kota Factory, Pitchers, Truth aAd Dare With Dad, Jitendra Kumar, the poster boy of TVF, released a five-episode series, Cheesecake, with co-actor Akanksha Thakur. The MX Player show revolves around a couple who reignites the spark in their marriage as they welcome a dog into the family. In conversation with mid-day, Kumar talks about finding an unlikely co-star in a dog, his Bollywood debut and meeting his family's expectations.

Edited Excerpts from the interview.

How did you come on board for Cheesecake?
The concept belongs to Palash [Vaswani, director] and he is a pet lover. He got writer Gautam Ved on board, and along with Sameer Saxena [executive producer], the project began to take shape.

Are you pet-friendly?
Not really [laughs]. Despite my fear of dogs, I insisted on doing the show. The track of the married couple was interesting and different from the projects Akanksha and I have been part of. We trained with the dog to make it seem natural. Since she loves dogs, the training was essentially for me. It was fruitful because I gradually got comfortable with Aryan.

Was it difficult to shoot with a dog?
I think Aryan is more experienced than us. He has done several commercials and films. After his shot, he would immediately be taken to his vanity van because he couldn't bear the heat [laughs].

There were rumours about Pitchers 2 going on floors. Is it still on the cards?
The concept of start-ups is no longer fresh. We had started work on the script but realised that there is not enough material to play with. So, it's currently on hold.

You are making your Bollywood debut with the same-sex love story, Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhaan. What was it like to romance Ayushmann Khurrana?
Romancing a girl comes easily because you've done it before; that's not the case here. Initially, it was awkward, but we got comfortable as we did readings, [understood] our characters and the situations they face. Before filming a romantic scene, the director [Hitesh Kewalya] would come to us and say he wants to see the chemistry between us. Thankfully, it flowed naturally when the camera rolled.

Has your family finally accepted you as an actor?
They are supportive of my decision. But whenever there is a vacancy in a government office, they call me, asking me to interview for the job. This happens especially when I'm going through a low phase.

The Viral Fever’s faces on coming to terms with being recognised on the streets for their popular videos
Deepali Singh (DNA; July 17, 2016)


Anonymous no more
While all of them have been associated with the creative fields in some form or the other — Kasturia even acted in the movie Sulemani Keeda — they all owe their popularity to The Viral Fever (TVF). The online digital entertainment channel’s web sketches such as Tech Conversations with Dad, Ek Thi Behen, Chai Sutta Chronicles and Rowdies among others and web series such as Permanent Roommates and Pitchers, have made them online stars. So much so, that even the guy at the local train’s ticketing window recognised Kumar as ‘Jitu from that TVF show’ and refused to take any money! “I had to request him to take it as it was sarkaari money after all,” laughs Kumar.

No Dilli-return
Leaving a successful law career behind, Bisht came to Mumbai from Delhi seven years ago, while Kumar, who hails from Khairtal, Rajasthan quit an engineering project in Bangalore to pursue his passion for acting.

Kasturia also moved bag and baggage from Delhi eight years ago and was an assistant director in movies such as Shanghai and LSD before landing a role in the movie Sulemani Keeda, and later, a sketch called Rowdies for TVF and then the lead role in Pitchers. “Till my fourth year in Mumbai, my parents kept telling me to leave this ‘hobby’ and come back to Delhi,” he recalls.

Thakur, from Mumbai, too had to face opposition from home as her parents did not entirely approve of her career choice. “For a long time, they didn’t understand what I was doing. Of course, now they watch all the shows,” she says, while Kumar shares that his father who has grown to love his shows, sends him a letter with a self-written poem after each sketch.

Yeh dosti…
Most of these actors have known each other when they were struggling to get a break. Bisht has known Kasturia from her Delhi theatre days (“He is my oldest friend in Mumbai. If I ever write an autobiography one chapter will be dedicated to him,” she quips while he retorts, “She has stayed with me in my house when she shifted to the city, made Maggi and swept my house too.”), she was Thakur’s first director in a play that they both did together. Kumar was TVF’s writer and Creative Director Biswapati Sarkar’s junior in IIT-Kharagpur and has known him for many years. “The other day somebody mentioned that it’s been a little more than four years that Rowdies came out and I was like ‘Really, has it been only four years? Feels like we’ve all known each other since forever,” smiles Bisht.

Thakur, too, met Bisht while they were both doing plays in Mumbai. “I first met her during the play Afwaah where I acted and she was doing backstage production,” recalls Bisht, while Kasturia adds that he was a part of Afwaah, but got thrown out due to some issues. “Was it because you reached late?” Kumar teases him, knowing his penchant for coming late. “One of my bosses once told me, ‘Naveen your problem is not that you’re getting late, it is that you’re getting late and you don’t even show any urgency to resolve that,” laughs Kasturia. Ask them if they would like to continue their association with the stage and Bisht replies, “Yes of course. I have my own theatre production company and once things are more settled here, I would like to do at least one production a year.”

Eye on the bigger picture
There is a whole lot of stuff happening at TVF, including new sketches, web series and hopefully, even a movie by next year. “The ultimate dream is to do movies and be a part of them. All of us want that and are working towards it,” says Kumar, and Kasturia, in an aside, tells us that he would love to work with Alia Bhatt. “I think she’s the best actor we have now,” he adds.

Bisht also has something interesting up her sleeve, but isn’t willing to reveal much at this point. At TVF, Season 2 of Pitchers will be out by next year and Kasturia and Kumar are looking forward to that. With so much excitement in their lives, we proceed to take their leave but before we do, we have to ask Kumar and Thakur the one thing that most viewers of their shows would love to know — Are they seeing each other? “We’re both single,” they laugh and answer together, while Bisht comments, “They are the Shah Rukh-Kajol of our TVF. But they are both ‘just good friends’. They maintain that and so do we.”