Exclusive: NSD alum Durgesh Kumar talks about 'Bhakshak,' 'Laapataa Ladies'
You best know him for his role as the cantankerous Bhushan from Panchayat, but did you know actor-thespian Durgesh Kumar has been active in showbiz for a decade? Also part of Highway and Sultan, among others, the National School of Drama alum was recently seen in Netflix's Bhakshak and has Kiran Rao's Laapataa Ladies, releasing on March 1. Excerpts from NewsBytes's exclusive conversation.
Kumar on working with veteran actor Sanjay Mishra
Expressing gratitude toward his Bhakshak co-star Sanjay Mishra, Kumar says, "Mishra ji is my senior from the National School of Drama. I've done three films with him. I admire him a lot." "He kept an extremely comfortable ambiance on the set, because of which my role eventually became so refined and polished." They earlier worked together in Aadhar and Bahut Hua Samman, too.
His extensive research for his role in 'Bhakshak'
Furthermore, elaborating upon the research he did for his role as news informer Guptaji in Bhakshak, Kumar shares, "I was told right off the bat by the makers that this is a cunning character. He chews paan constantly." "So, I started indulging in paan and took some references from some courts in Bihar where I observed such people for a few days," he added.
On 'Laapataa Ladies' and Kiran Rao's impressive style of working
In Laapataa Ladies, Kumar essays constable Dubey, who works alongside Ravi Kishan's character. "I was approached by the casting team six months before we began shooting, observed constables in Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, and then auditioned for it." On working with Rao, he said, "[She] reminded me of my guru, senior actor Robin Das—she is meticulous, tenacious, extremely methodical, and rightly focuses on rehearsals."
This is Kumar's dream role!
Asked about his dream role in Hindi cinema, Kumar had a determined, sure-shot answer: "I look up to Ashutosh Rana sir. I want to play a character similar to what he played in Kajol-Sanjay Dutt starrer Dushman (1998)." Separately, explaining the difference between the OTT world and films, he says, "Neither is harder for me, but in Mumbai, sab kuch mauke ki baat hai."
On how 'Panchayat's memorable character happened for him
While Kumar remained absolutely mum about the long-awaited third season of the Panchayat series, he spoke about the first two seasons. "I initially auditioned for the photographer's role, but it went to another actor. Subsequently, I was approached for Bhushan's character and shot only for a day." "However, later, the makers decided to extend my character extensively." The rest, as they say, is history.
