Who's this 'Panchayat' actor whose YouTube views have surpassed Bachchan's
What's the story
Durgesh Kumar, who famously played Bhushan in the acclaimed web series Panchayat, recently lamented about how he has not been cast by big production houses yet.
Even though his YouTube videos get more views than Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan's, he is still waiting for prominent roles.
Speaking to Mid-Day, Kumar said, "I keep working, but no big production houses are showing much interest in casting me."
Video views
Kumar's videos reportedly outperformed Bachchan's on YouTube
Kumar, whose breakthrough came with the role of Aadoo in Highway, highlighted how his videos have more views than Bachchan's.
"If one takes a look at YouTube, my videos have more views than Amitabh Bachchan's. Mine has over 5 million; his has 1.5 million," he claimed.
Despite this, he was confused about how people get selected in the industry: "I trained in Delhi theater for 12 years, so I don't understand how people are selected."
Struggles
Kumar's struggle persists despite industry recognition
In another conversation with The Times of India, Kumar claimed that despite Panchayat's success, he still faces difficulties in the industry.
He stated that even after 25 years in the field, he has not received an audition call from major production houses in the past year.
Kumar added that while smaller producers recognize his talent, critics rarely acknowledge his contributions.
However, he expressed gratitude that audiences continue to appreciate his work.
Acting journey
Kumar's experience on 'Panchayat' and other films
Kumar's dialogue, "Dekh raha hai Binod," from Panchayat Season 2 went on to become a viral sensation, despite him only working on the show for 20 days.
He called the experience living the character, not acting.
Besides Highway, he has featured in Sultan, Freaky Ali, Sanju, Dhadak, and Tumko Meri Kasam, among other projects.
He also had a prominent role in Kiran Rao's Laapataa Ladies.