Meet actor who was banned by NSD, battled depression, shot biggest roles on medication, one dialogue changed his life

Durgesh Kumar is not a household name even though he has been in the industry for over a decade. But the actor is a known face now. Having dabbled in theatre and worked in several memorable films and shows, the actor has finally carved a niche for himself over the last few years in titles like Panchayat and Laapataa Ladies. However, all this came after a long struggle.

When Durgesh Kumar was banned by the National School of Drama

Durgesh was an alumnus of the National School of Drama and was active in the theatre circles in Delhi. But after he did a small role in Imtiaz Ali’s Highway back in 2013, the esteemed institution removed him from their repertory. This meant he had trouble finding work in theatre and had to head to Mumbai. “After the NSD repertory removed me because I did Highway, I felt sad. I went back home and slept for a month. Then my friend Sukantra, who had moved to Mumbai, called and said, ‘Come to Mumbai. The repertory has let you go. What will you do now,’ Durgesh told E-Times in an interview.

When Durgesh Kumar battled depression

After a few years, when Durgesh was finally establishing himself in the film and TV world, his father had a health emergency. Durgesh was burdened financially and became depressed. “I reached out to doctors, who prescribed some medications that I started taking. Honestly, during that time, I shot for Panchayat, Laapataa Ladies and Dedh Bigha Zameen...It was only later, with the guidance of my teachers and family, that I sought medical help to recover from feeling so low,” he told E-Times.

The one dialogue that changed Durgesh’s life

Durgesh admits that he found it tough to land big roles initially because many major roles went to actors who looked a certain way. “But slowly, progress came my way,” he added. The breakthrough happened for him in 2022 when he appeared as a supporting character in the second season of Amazon Prime Video’s Panchayat. The character of Bhushan was a hit with the fans and his signature ‘Dekh raha hai Binod’ became a catchphrase and top meme material. Durgesh admits that the success of the character boosted his career quite a bit.

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