Durgesh Kumar said- I fell at the feet of directors, I have gone into depression twice

Every character of the web series ‘Panchayat 3’ on OTT is very special. From Pradhan ji to Sachiv ji, Deepak, Rinki, Banarakas, Binod, Jagmohan, Jagmohan’s Amma, every character has tickled people so much that at this time the name of this series is on everyone’s lips. In this series, Durgesh Kumar i.e. Banarakas, who is seen in the role of Bhushan in Jitendra Kumar and Neena Gupta starrer series, won a lot of hearts with his/her character, where he/she keeps trying new tricks to become the Pradhan of ‘Phulera’ village all the time. Banarakas i.e. Durgesh, who was seen in ‘Panchayat 3’, has told that the journey to reach here has not been so easy. he/she told that he/she has suffered depression twice in life and has struggled a lot.

Durgesh Kumar belongs to Darbhanga. In an interview to ‘The Lallantop’, he/she said, ‘To become an actor, you have to be prepared psychologically, physically, mentally, emotionally and financially. I have been a victim of depression twice in 11 years. Please do not enter the acting field until you are psychologically, financially and mentally healthy. I am talking about this with complete honesty.’

“They are all half crazy people, nobody tells anyone about this”

Durgesh also gave advice to the youth who are unaware of the acting industry and want to make a career in films. he/she said, ‘This is not the place to try. This place is full of crazy people. All the successful people you see today, including Manoj Bajpayee and Pankaj Tripathi, who were my seniors in the National School of Drama or Nawazuddin Siddiqui, all of them are half crazy people, no one tells this.’

I had to fall at the feet of casting directors

he/she further revealed how despite acting in films like Highway, Sultan and Freaky Ali, he/she had to fall at the feet of casting directors to get roles.

‘Fell at his/her feet for a role’

he/she recalls, “When I first came to Versova on May 28, 2016, I made a few friends from Madhya Pradesh Drama School. We decided to enter the industry at any cost. We found Neeraj Singh and Gaurav Singh from Prithvi, we made Aram Nagar our base. We started knocking on every casting director’s door, falling at their feet for a role. All this, after doing Highway, Freaky Ali and Sultan.”

‘I got a role for just one day in Panchayat Season 1’

he/she said, ‘My friends started abusing me for falling on people’s feet. I said- at any cost I want to pass it. This kind of struggle and dedication is to survive in the industry. After working in films, it feels embarrassing to go out for random auditions, especially when the casting director recognizes you. I got just a one-day role in Panchayat Season 1. I shot for just 2.5 hours. I am really grateful to Chandan Kumar and Deepak Kumar Mishra who wrote the role of Banaras. I am happy. I am not Irrfan or Nawazuddin, I am an average actor with a survival instinct.’

Failed in every audition given from 2013-22

Durgesh Kumar, who worked in Imtiaz Ali’s 2014 film ‘Highway’, also told that he/she was forced to act in soft porn to survive. According to the DNA report, Durgesh failed in every audition given from 2013-22. Casting directors used to say that you have talent but auditions are not working. he/she told that he/she had to act in soft porn for money. The actor said, ‘I cannot live without acting. I did every work that came to me because I had faith in my abilities.’

After ‘Panchayat’ he/she is now getting work

Durgesh, who recently appeared in ‘Laapata Ladies’ and ‘Bhakshak’, also gained immense popularity in ‘Panchayat Season 2’. Durgesh says that after ‘Panchayat’, he/she is now getting work. he/she said, ‘No one casts us in action shows. At least with comedy we get these opportunities, so it feels great.’