The debate around nepotism in the film industry keeps coming up, but Bollywood has also seen outsiders carve their own path and build a place for themselves without any family connections. Jitendra Kumar is one such example. The actor, currently seen as Bablu Pandit in Mirzapur : The Movie, was a bright student who graduated from IIT Kharagpur before giving up a corporate career to pursue his long-standing dream of becoming an actor.
The Prime Video show turned Jitendra into a household name. In 2020, Jitendra began playing Abhishek Tripathi, popularly known as Sachiv Ji, in Panchayat. Released during the Covid-19 lockdown, the series became a massive hit with audiences and developed a loyal fan base. The show has completed four seasons so far, with fans awaiting the release of Season 5 this year.
Sarkar recognised Jitendra’s acting ability and invited him to join TVF in 2012. In a recent interaction with IVM Pop, Jitendra shared that his first video did not even get 10,000 views on YouTube. It became Jitendra Kumar’s early breakthrough in 2013. The video reportedly crossed 3 million views, putting him on the map as a new internet performer.
He revealed that he worked as an assistant director and, when his second video failed to garner any views, he decided to leave Mumbai. It was at IIT that he met Biswapati Sarkar, who later became an Executive Creative Director and writer at The Viral Fever (TVF). Right after college, Jitendra moved to Mumbai and shot his first short-form video with TVF. Jitendra struggled during his initial days at TVF. He got a job in Bengaluru through a friend and worked there for nine months. Biswapati called and informed him that his second video had gone viral While Jitendra found himself stuck in this joyless corporate job. That video was — Munna Jazbaati: The Q-tiya Intern. This pushed Jitendra to leave his high-paying job and return to acting. He went on to star in several popular TVF videos and sketches, including Tech Conversations With Dad, A Day With and TVF Bachelors. Jitendra became known for playing relatable, slightly confused and everyday Indian characters that audiences couldn’t get enough of. Jitendra started his film career with smaller projects such as Shuruaat Ka Interval and Gone Kesh. However, his first big film was Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan, in which he starred opposite Ayushmann Khurrana. it did not immediately result in Jitendra bagging major film roles While the film was a hit. He went on to star in projects such as Chaman Bahaar, Jaadugar and Dry Day.
