Panchayat 3’s Banrakas, also known as Durgesh Kumar, speaks about battling depression when cast in series role and shares insight into iconic ‘Alhua meeting’ dialogue
Trigger Warning: This article contains references to depression.
Durgesh Kumar is one of those underdogs who has skillfully supported several projects and played a key role in making them a massive success. Be it playing Banrakas in the popular TV series Panchayat or working as Ravi Kishan’s aide Dubey Ji in Kiran Rao’s Laapataa Ladies, cinephiles now know him because of characters more than they recognize him by his real name.
But in a recent interview, the actor admitted battling depression when he was shooting two of the most important projects of his career. Read on!
Durgesh Kumar reveals battling depression
During an exclusive chat with ETimes, Durgesh Kumar spoke about working in popular films and TV shows like Highway, Sultan, Sanju, Dhadak, Panchayat, and Laapataa Ladies. However, he also touched upon the topic of dealing with depression when his dad suffered a brain hemorrhage.
The actor stated that at that time, he got scared thinking that he might have to leave Mumbai and the industry to financially support his expensive treatment. But luckily, his dad survived. However, the stress never left him. He felt anxious and depressed which affected his mental and physical health.
The actor was quick to get medical help and was out under medication. “Honestly, during that time, I shot for Panchayat, Laapataa Ladies, and Dedh Bigha Zameen,” Kumar revealed. But the good thing is that he is perfectly fine now and always stays in touch with his doctors who advise him to look after his body.
Durgesh Kumar shared his experience of working with ace actors in Panchayat
During the same chat, Kumar mentioned that while working on the TV show Panchayat, he received a lot of love from the star cast. Jeetendra Kumar was always supportive of his improvisations while the director Deepak Kumar Mishra created an environment where he could perform and flourish. He wrote good lines for him and everyone shot the show “like a family.”
Talking about working with ace actors Raghubir Yadav and Neena Gupta, Kumar penned that they are excellent actors who used to have a good laugh with his improvisations. They would also often amusingly inquire him about his viral ‘Alhua meeting’ dialogue and Kumar would tell them that he has seen such real-life characters and situations in his village. Hence, he gets inspired by them and tries to recreate them through his roles.
Disclaimer: If you know someone who is having suicidal thoughts, anxiety, going through depression, or suffering from a serious mental illness, reach out to a nearby doctor, mental health expert, or an NGO for immediate help. There are several helplines available for the same.
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