It happens more than often that we step out of the house with a particular set of goals in mind and we end up returning with a completely different set of experiences altogether. It won’t be wrong to say that the famous actor Jitendra Kumar, who we also know as Jeetu Bhaiyya, Arjun Kejriwal or Gittu, closely adhered to this phenomenon.
Born in Khairthal and descending from a family of civil engineers, Jitendra prepared for IIT-JEE keeping in mind his goal of getting into aerospace engineering. Smart and brainy as he was, he got into IIT Kharagpur but not into aeronautics, rather in the civil discipline. It was in college that he got a chance to actively participate in dramatics and he realized that it was something that pleased him the most. He became a part of the dramatics society in his college and participated in various plays, his first major play being Sakharam Binder, a very controversial play by Vijay Tendulkar. Gradually when he broke the news of wanting to become an actor, his parents were taken aback and later when he expressed his want of going to Mumbai, he faced an even greater opposition.
Despite all conflicts, he stuck to his passion and pursued his dream of becoming an actor. Just like all artists, he had his disheartening moments but he did not lose his will and pushed through. Aspiring for aeronautics, graduating as a civil engineer and professionally flourishing as an actor, Jitendra Kumar’s life has been a roller coaster with its crests and troughs, and yet, he hung on and never stopped believing in himself.
In the Digital Commentary’s Unfolding Stardom Season Finale, he recalls his journey.
