He is talented and focused on the ambition to make it big in the vast world of entertainment. He is none other than 'Jitu bhaiyya' aka Jitendra Kumar, who has been filling his kitty with entertaining projects laced with social messages. While last year with Kota Factory Jitendra ruffled a few feathers in the web world with his remarkable performance, this year he stepped into mainstream Bollywood films, playing the role of gay in Hitesh Kewalya’s Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan opposite Ayushmann Khurrana.

In this lockdown period, Jitendra is basking in praises for his performance as Abhishek Tripathi in the recently released web show Panchayat on Amazon Prime. PeepingMoon.com, in an exclusive conversation with the supremely abled actor, spoke about the webspace, his current co-star Neena Gupta and if Panchayat would have been better made as a film than a web show...

Excerpts from the chat:

Can it be considered that you are the Aamir Khan of web space for picking up meaningful content early in your career?

The term Aamir Khan of the webspace is a big thing for me. It is a coincidence that whatever scripts I am destined to do are with a social message and it's happening for good. I am thankful to those who are admiring my work and are taking away a poignant message from my projects.

After playing the role of gay in Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan, how was it difficult to sink into the character of Abhishek Tripathi?

Panchayat was shot a month before Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan went on floors. I believe, as a performer, both characters have no impact on each other as there is enough time gap between two projects to break the flow. Even the audience’ perception changes as soon as they watch the actor transform into a new character onscreen. However, what remains behind is the response the previous project got and the increased fan-base. After Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan, I can say my reach is now wider than before.

Jitendra Kumar in Panchayat

Recommended Read: 'Panchayat' Review: Jitendra Kumar, Neena Gupta and Raghubir Yadav hit the ball out of the park with this light-hearted village drama

You shot to overnight fame with TVF’s Kota Factory. How’s your experience of joining forces with TVF again?

I have been an active part of TVF since 2012 and also worked with them on Permanent Roommates, Pitchers and many others. Now, the situation is slightly different as we are collaborating with digital giants like Amazon. During the course of the shoot, nothing changed substantially, but our group is now bigger. As a team, we tried to keep the vibe positive and focus on our creative craft with utmost honesty.

After Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan, Panchayat is your second consecutive outing with Neena Gupta. What do you have to say about her?

I met Neena ma’am for the first time on the sets Panchayat as it was shot a month before Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan. I was really excited to work with her because I am a huge fan of hers. She inspires me. Initially, we would interact rarely and bonded well on the sets of Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan. I find Neena ma’am to be a person who conducts herself well and her conversations tend to inspire one. She never shies away from admitting her flaws and this is something that every actor should learn from her. It is a positive and unique experience to work with her and I feel every new actor should get a chance to work with Neena ma’am.

Jitendra Kumar and Neena Gupta in Panchayat

How was it working with Raghubir Yadav?

Raghubir sir is a senior actor and like everyone else, I am a fan of his craft. During the initial days on the sets of Panchayat, I would hardly talk to him out of fear. But later, we engaged in fun conversations. Raghubir sir, having shot for many projects in rural areas, was comfortable in the overall setup while we all struggled to cope up with temperature variations. We filmed Panchayat when the mercury soared to 43-47 degrees. Raghubir sir, in such a situation, would take shelter under the tree to relax. He has his own set of interesting tales to tell that are treasured with him after years of experience.

How different or same are Jitendra and Abhishek Tripathi from each other?

Jitendra and Abhishek Tripathi are poles apart. I am an ambitious person and chasing my dreams. Abhishek is someone who desires to live a simple life with no adventure. He aims for a 9-5 job that gives him a chance to socialise with friends. But, like Abhishek, Jitendra is also an introvert who can’t be blunt on people’s faces. Ambition wise, we are different, but certain character traits are similar.  

Jitendra Kumar and Raghubir Yadav in Panchayat

Did shooting for Panchayat offer you new insights about rural India?

The journey on Panchayat was great for me. I noticed a lot of development has taken place in India in the last 15-20 years. Small town residents are now adapting city-like habits. In the past, I never took the initiative to learn about the functioning of a panchayat. But while shooting for the web series, I grasped minute details that we never familiar to me. We got permission to shoot at the panchayat office for 5 hours. I also interacted with the localites and realised that they are way franker than city people. They instantly believe you too. As compared to the city, gaon mein time thoda ruk jata hai.

Village life or city life, what does Jitendra as a person prefer?

I prefer city life because, unfortunately, in villages, basic facilities are still not available. If small towns are well-equipped with necessary facilities like hospitals, schools, etc, then people will love staying there.

Is Panchayat 2 in the making?

The response is very good and now we can surely go for more editions. I would love to reprise the role of Abhishek Tripathi in all the editions. I enjoyed playing the character because of his pleasing simplicity. Being the sachiv of the village Phulera, he has a number of complex situations to deal with. It is a challenging role in itself. As an entertainer, I would love to play the character in the future too.

Jitendra Kumar in Panchayat

If given a choice, would you agree to convert Panchayat into a proper feature film?

I feel Panchayat is better as a web series. It is an uphill task to string together the audience with real-life conflicts of a village in a film setup. The main essence of Panchayat is to take the viewers on a journey with Abhishek and how he tackles day-to-day adverse issues. Making a film on that can be a weird experience. In a web series with every episode of 30 minutes duration and each of them dealing with a new problem, it’s more fun and engaging. I would like to watch a show like Panchayat at home and not theatre.