Jitendra Kumar: ‘Ayushmann Khurrana, Neena Gupta bring a lot of positive energy on the sets’

Jitendra Kumar opens up about working with Neena Gupta on their new web show Panchayat and staying alone during lockdown.

Soon after the success of Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan, Jitendra Kumar is back with co-star Neena Gupta in their new web show, Panchayat. The actor, who had played a gay man and romanced none other than Ayushmann Khurrana in the film, now turns a sulking panchayat secretary on the show. The actor is himself an IIT graduate and is happy to have found his footing in the industry.

Jitendra Kumar plays the lead protagonist in new web show, Panchayat.

In an interview to Hindustan Times, Jitendra opened up about his new show, working with Neena Gupta and Ayushmann Khurrana, and how’s he is busy cleaning and cooking all by himself during lockdown. Excerpts:

How is Panchayat different from your previous shows?

The concept is quite different – most of the shows I have done were in the urban space and the characters had come from small towns into urban spaces, like the ones in Cheesecake, Pitchers, Bachelors or Kota Factory. Panchayat is set in a village and is the story of an urban man coming to the village. We have tried to show how a panchayat makes profit in a funny way. My initial understanding of a panchayat was a big tree with five panch or sarpanch and other people sitting in its shade. They are usually fighting over a land dispute and come up with a solution right there. But actually Panchayat is like an office and every panchayat follows a process. The show talks about the problems of villagers which appear to be very funny for us.

You played Neena Gupta’s son in Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan and now you are her subordinate in Panchayat on Amazon Prime. How was it working with her?

Panchayat was shot two months before Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan, so it was my first project with her. Neena ji has a very good personality and I was very nervous in front of her. She tells us many good things, speaks the truth and is very blunt. She is a fantastic actor and has a wonderful energy. She remains involved in the scene whether she has to give clues or do her own act. She treated the young crew well and cared for everyone like her own kids. She brings a lot of experience with her, one can learn a lot from her excitement and enthusiasm.

Is Neena Gupta very strict to work with, as claimed by your co-star Manu Rishi Chadha in Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan?

She speaks the truth and everyone looks at the truth differently. The truth may be hard-hitting. One takes time to understand that she didn’t mean to offend anyone and it was just her opinion. She is very chilled out. She is very fond of music and knows so much about yesteryear films. It’s fun to work with her but if you cross the line, you may end up getting scolded.

The show talks about problems in villages. During the shooting, did you face any such problems?

Panchayat was shot last year in the month of March and April. It was very hot. The 150-person crew had a very tough time as many crew members used to stand in the fields holding umbrellas or lights.

Otherwise, it was a lot of fun. We shot at a real panchayat in a village in Sehore, Madhya Pradesh. We had the permission to shoot for just 5-6 hours and it was a long schedule as the regular panchayat work used to happen at that office during the day. The village was very beautiful and it was the harvest season.

Most of your scenes are with Raghubir Yadav? How was it to work with him?

Working with Raghuvir sir was a lot of fun. He told me he has mostly shot in villages and shared stories from his previous shoots. He used to tell us how to deal with the heat, when to have tea, what to eat. He never went to the van and used to sit under a tree. He even told the scientific logic behind it – the roots absorb a lot of water due to which it’s comparatively cooler under a tree. He even used to pluck tamarinds from a tree.

Your character is stuck with a government job in a village. You are from IIT, were your parents not wary of you not taking up a high-paying job and venturing into digital entertainment instead?

Parents have a very natural reaction if their kid makes such a choice because it takes a lot of hard work, both on the kid’s part as well as on the part of the parents. But at my time, TVF had started growing, we were getting an audience base. They initially had some issues but could see we were in the right direction. Now they are happy as I have featured in two films (Gone Kesh and Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan) and a few web shows as well. They are content if something worthy happens every year.

You starred alongside Ayushmann Khurrana in Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan. Did you pick any advice from him?

I didn’t ask him for an advice but I observed him. I have realised there are so many stories which can be told beautifully on screen. It’s important to be part of such films. The script may be a regular one but the way the story is told should be very entertaining so that it reaches to the maximum audience. Since you have to be among people for at least two-three months, one must connect with them, else you don’t get the right environment and the process gets spoiled and even on trying, the last result doesn’t come out as expected. He (Ayushmann) remains very positive and brings very good energy on the sets. I have learnt from him that there can be dull days and you may be in a bad mood, but it important to keep it under control on sets.

Have you received any good offers after Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan?

I attended a few meetings but then we went under lockdown. Till now, I haven’t signed a new film.

How are you dealing with lockdown? How do you spend your day?

There is so much work to do – jhadu, ponjha, bartan, cooking – I spend my whole day doing all these things. I stay alone and there’s no one to help. I sleep by 3-4 am, wake up late by around 10 am and get free only by -4-4:30.

I was shooting outdoors for the entire last year. First I was shooting for Kota Factory in January (2019), then Cheesecake in Mumbai and then I was for three months in Bhopal for Panchayat and then three months in Varanasi for Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan. I just watched She on Netflix and I liked it. I had not watched Friends and have started watching it now as I have heard so much about it. I am glad I didn’t see it before because it brings a lot of positive energy. I have also been watching a lot of South Indian films, many of which are very progressive and much ahead of time.

Author tweets @ruchik87

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