If you are one of the ardent fans of the OTT series ‘Panchayat’ then you must absolutely hate the character of Bhushan aka Banrakas, played by actor Durgesh Kumar. The very reason why we hate the character and want to get through the screen and slap him is because Durgesh Kumar is so damn good at his job. The actor has gained popularity today, through ‘Panchayat’ and also the recently released film ‘Laapataa Ladies’. However, his journey to fame hasn’t been an easy one.
Durgesh Kumar has experienced his fair share of heartbreaks like getting rejected from PK, getting thrown out of the NSD (National School of Drama) repertory, and being unable to gain the trust of various producers.
“A friend of mine who worked at Mukesh Chhabra’s casting agency called me to audition for PK, but later he informed me that I was not selected for the film. He then told me that I bagged a role in Imtiaz Ali’s Highway. It was a 45-day schedule from Gurgaon to Jammu and Kashmir. That time I took a 45-day leave from the repertory. Because of the rules, I was thrown out of the repertory. I felt very bad that time. It was a low point for me,” Indian Express quoted him saying.
In order to survive in Mumbai, he even had to work in “soft porn” projects (like he calls it). For about a decade, he was unable to crack big roles.
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“I then came to Mumbai in 2013, and got into the drill. I started taking work where I just had one or two scenes in films like Freaky Ali, and Sultan. For survival, I also did soft porn with the ALT Balaji show Virgin Bhaskar Season 1 and 2. From 2013 to 2022, I was trying, and working very hard. The casting directors could see my potential. I auditioned for big roles, but I couldn’t crack anything. I could not win the producer’s trust for some reason.”
It was when he was “unable to break the loop” that he got an audition call for ‘Panchayat’, and the rest is history!
“I got a lot of work in the lockdown, still I was unable to break that loop. That’s when I got an audition call for Panchayat.”
Can’t wait to see him getting more recognition!