Actor Jitendra Kumar, who was seen in the hit series ‘Panchayat’ and Kota Factory Season 3’ from The Viral Fever, spoke with MoneyControl about his journey from IIT Kharagpur to acting.
The actor, who himself is an engineer from IIT Kharagpur, talked about how life has taken a 360-degree turn since he took up acting.
Jitendra became synonymous with Jeetu Bhaiya, his character from the hit Kota Factory, and the actor says he didn’t have such mentors while he was studying in Kota. His character, Jeetu Bhaiya, is very supportive of his students and is like their guide and mentor.
In the exclusive conversation with Moneycontrol.com, Jitendra Kumar also touched upon the spate of suicides in the coaching hub Kota. Expressing sadness over the suicides in Kota, he said that studying in Kota isn’t easy and that some students manage to cope with it, while others find it difficult.
“It has been a very interesting journey from IIT to acting. We used to do plays in college; it was fun there. I never thought that I would do it professionally. I took up acting as there were problems with placements and the jobs were not seeming profitable, so I thought, Let's give acting a try. I am lucky that at that time YouTube was new, and we started creating content there, and people started liking the content. So, we got a reality check that the kind of work we are doing is being liked by people. From there, we all gained confidence. I wanted to create real characters, and finally, when the chance came, we were able to make them and make them reach a larger audience, and we got so much love from the viewers. It is a very interesting journey," he told MoneyControl.
When asked if there is stress while studying in Kota, Jitendra said that since it is a new place and youngsters have to manage things on their own, it does get stressful.
“Aik nayapan hota hai wahan par new level ka stress hota hai kyunki wahan tumhe har cheez khud se manage karni hoti hai. (Everything is new there; you have to manage everything yourself.) Kuch log cope up kar lete hai jhel jate hai kuch log nahi kar pate. Wahan ke do saal difficult hote hain lekin who interesting bhi hote hain. Log kaafi kuch seekh kar nikalte hain Kota se. Studying there is difficult, whether it’s for IIT or medical courses. The entire system is so hectic that, in the beginning, you might get overwhelmed. Some people cope and endure, while others can’t. Those two years in Kota were difficult, but they were also interesting. People learn a lot in Kota, and, of course, there is a fun part too when you are away from your family and learning things in your own way. So, it is a very interesting journey,” he said.
He also said that pressure does exist while studying in Kota.
“The pressure exists because we associate education with employment. We think that if we study hard enough, we’ll get a job. This is not Kota’s fault, but a problem with our society. Education should also be pursued for knowledge. These are two separate things. This societal pressure is what creates stress in Kota, and that’s what we tried to show. I am glad we could address these issues. When I was studying in Kota, I had teachers who inspired me with their talks and achievements, and we felt motivated to impress our teachers by getting into IIT because they taught us with great dedication. However, there wasn’t much personal connection with the teachers as they had many students and took a lot of classes.”
Suicides in Kota
While talking about the series of deaths by suicide in Kota, Jitendra said it is really sad and it does happen in the city due to immense pressure.
“It is sad, and aisa hota hai Kota mein who pressure ki wajah se hota hai. Whose education is the problem? Who kahin na kahin jo system hai iss society ka jo padhai se employment ko jod kar rakhte hain? Humein lagta hai ki hum itna padh lenge toh humein iss tarah ki job mil jayega ya hamara job mil jayega. Toh who sahi hona basic level par bahut zaroori hai? Jo bhi hai system education ka who hum pursue karein, but knowledge ke liye. Isse hamari knowledge badhe usse humein pata chalega ki engineering kaisi hoti hai ya medicines kaise di jaati. Rather, usse ki hamari kya job lagne jaa rahi hai. If we separate these two things from each other, then maybe the pressure will ease for the kids,” he said. “It is sad, and such incidents happen in Kota due to pressure. It is not an education problem but a societal issue where education is linked to employment. We believe that if we study hard enough, we’ll get a job, which creates unnecessary pressure. Education should be pursued for knowledge. If we separate these two things, maybe the pressure on kids will ease.”
Jitendra also said that studying in Kota helped him in his journey in the world of acting. He said he sees his struggles in Bollywood as positive and that you also need to keep learning.
“Kota teaches you a lot of things, especially that it makes you realize that you have to keep learning something or another in life. But my journey in acting was different; it was like a school because I am not a trained actor. I don’t view my struggles negatively; during those struggles, I was learning how to enhance my performances and understand the work. I learned the entire process during what we call the struggle phase. For me, it’s not a negative term. I take it very positively, as I have learned a lot during that phase. Acting is a never-ending learning process. You have to keep learning new things, and whenever you perform new roles, you have to adapt to new things, new people, and new environments. I enjoyed all the learning during that time,” he added.
Parents Reactions
When asked what his parents reaction was when he informed them about his decision to quit engineering and try his luck in Bollywood, Jitendra said his parents were taken aback and there were some initial apprehensions.
“Thode shocked they who log kyunki bahut mehnat lagti hai jab kisi bachche ka selection IIT mein hota hai toh. Bacche ke saath saath parents and relatives ka support hota hai saath saath. Unki bhi utni hi mehnat hoti hai kyunki bachcha toh sirf 13–14 saal ka Kota mein jata hai toh. It is a very young, so bahut hi young age. Usme kaafi saara support lagta hai parents ka. But who log kaafi supportive? It went on for a brief period of time, but later they were supportive. Throughout, unhone support kiya mere ko. Hamesha saath diya hai.” My parents were shocked because it takes a lot of effort for any child to get into IIT. Along with the student, the parents and relatives also put in a lot of effort. The child goes to Kota at a very young age, around 13–14 years old, so a lot of support is needed from the parents. But my parents were very supportive, though there was a brief period of uncertainty, but later they were supportive. (They have always supported me throughout.)
He was asked if he had witnessed any incidents of suicide during his IIT days. To this, Jitendra said, “Not really, but when I had passed out of IIT, I had heard of a few incidents in IIT Kharagpur, but by that time I had passed out.”
Ragging in colleges
Talking about ragging in engineering colleges, where at times seniors cross the limits and that leads to students getting harmed, Jitendra said during their time it was a fun activity and they really enjoyed it.
He admitted that ‘ragging in colleges does go overboard at times.’
“Ragging sometimes goes overboard, but in my time, it was more about fun and interaction with seniors. We had a hostel culture where students managed everything, including sports. The culture is passed from juniors to seniors. There were strict rules against ragging, and professors kept a vigil and checked on us. Students didn’t cross their limits during ragging. It was much fun, and there has to be some fun rather than such incidents,” he said.
His Acting Debut
Jitendra Kumar has played many diverse roles in his decade-long acting career. He has won many awards for his portrayals over the years.
Jitendra was also seen in
Kota Factory, the black-and-white series, hails from The Viral Fever (TVF). Its latest season sees the students preparing for final exams while dealing with other challenges in their lives.
Jitendra, also known for his work on the series "TVF Pitchers" and "Panchayat," as well as the feature film "Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan," is an alumnus of IIT Kharagpur who also studied in Kota.
Directed by Pratish Mehta and run by Raghav Subbu, ‘Kota Factory’ also features Ranjan Raj, Alam Khan, Revathi Pillai, Ahsaas Channa, Rajesh Kumar, and Tillotama Shome.
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