Journey Of Durgesh Kumar, Acting As Side Artist To 'Panchayat', 'Teen Baar Mehnat Ek Baar Kismat'

A minor character in Panchayat Season 1, 'Banrakas', played by theatre artist, Durgesh Kumar, has become an indispensable part of the show. After his 'Dekh raha hai Vinod' became an iconic meme and dominated all social media content for months, Durgesh became an overnight sensation. However, this journey of the actor was paved by many struggles. Before getting the important antagonist role in Panchayat, Durgesh had starred in many popular films, but as a nameless and forgotten side artist. 

Durgesh Kumar had once dreamt of becoming an engineer, but had to let it go because of the challenging entrance exams 

Born in Darbhanga, Bihar, Durgesh Kumar shifted to Delhi with the dream of becoming an engineer. But the entrance tests proved to be too tough. However, he did not give up; he only shifted his focus towards another passion. Durgesh once revealed that after failing the engineering entrance test, it was his older brother who suggested that he pursue theatre and acting. So, taking his advice, he shifted his goal from engineering to acting. 

From 2004 to 2007, he pursued a Bachelor of Arts degree and also completed a certificate course in acting. After this, Durgesh went to attain a PG diploma in acting from the National School of Drama. Even after appearing in films and web series, he is still an active member of the Aranya theatre, Uddeshya Theatre Group. In an interview with Digital Commentory, Durgesh said that acting and theatre changed his personality and lifestyle.

Durgesh Kumar starred in many popular films, but as a side artist 

Sultan, Dhadak, Dil Bechara, Sanju and many more popular films have featured Durgesh Kumar. But as a nameless side-character, it is sometimes not even mentioned in the end credits. In Sultan and Dil Bechara, he came on screen for a few seconds as a commenter and as a rickshaw wala, respectively. In Ranbir Kapoor's Sanju, he played the role of a postman. However, Durgesh had scored a good supporting role in Imitiaz Ali's Highway, where he played the character of 'Aadoo'.

Talking to ETimes when Highway was re-released in the theatres, Durgesh Kumar stated that when the film was first released, he watched two shows. He also showed it to 65 of his friends, who appreciated his performance. In the film, his character was supposed to be Gujarati, so Durgesh practised a lot and also got help from Randeep Hooda for the same, he revealed in the interview. Even though the role was small, Durgesh had given all of his efforts to the films and said:

“I shot for 45 days, and for authenticity, I didn’t bathe for 25 days. I even stayed awake for 2-3 nights to understand the mindset of a man on the run. My training at NSD and the Repertory Company helped a lot. I also learned driving for a month and trained in the Gujarati dialect for seven days.”

Even after the popularity of Panchayat, Durgesh Kumar still struggles for work 

In the same ETimes interview, Durgesh stated that people see the popularity of Panchayat, but don't know that he has been struggling for 12 years. Even after starring in important roles in Panchayat, Highway and Laapataa Ladies, the actor has not received a single call from any major production houses. Durgesh also revealed that his clips from the show often going viral help with recognition of his talent, but they do not bring more work for him. The actor said:

"My success belongs to me and my audience. The industry does what it wants, but I continue to do my work.”

However, in a recent interview with Zoom, just before Panchayat Season 4 was released, Durgesh Kumar stated how unpredictable the acting world was. The actor said that the casting team told him that his standards had gone up. So, now he does not have to give auditions anymore. People say, 'Take Durgesh for this role, ' he said in the interview. All this unpredictability of the industry has made Durgesh realise that to make it big, it takes three parts hard work and one part luck. In his own words, Durgesh said:

"Mughe baad me casting valo ne bataya ki ab aapka ek standard upar ho chuka hai, ki iss ladke ko lo. Ab Durgesh ka audition nahi hota hai. Transition huya hai meri life me toh uss cheez ko samajne me observe kiya hai ki teen baar mehnat aur ek baar kismat."

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