Cop roles in 50 I’ve been offered Darshan films post Aashram:
For Darshan Kumar, 2020 was clearly a game changer. Even while dealing with the uncertainties during the pandemic, the actor says things took a “satisfying turn” for him professionally. His web shows, Avrodh: The Seige Within, and two seasons of Aashram, got him great reviews.
Grateful for the love he got from audiences, he says, “OTT as a medium has emerged and how! Whenever I step out even with a mask and safety goggles on, people recognise me as Ujagar Singh (from Aashram) the moment I say something. Recently, someone stopped me on the road and asked me about its third season.”
Kumar feels the web medium has opened up new horizons not just for actors, but also for the kind of stories people want to tell, and their presentation. “Now, the audiences have so much new, and interesting content from across the world to enjoy on the web. As far as actors and creators are concerned, everyone gets equal footing here,” opines the actor, who will next be seen in second season of The Family Man, third season of Aashram, and two films — Toofan, and an untitled suspense thriller.
During his initial years, Kumar had done cameos in Mujhe Kuch Kehna Hai (2001) and Tere Naam (2003) before he bagged a lead part in Mary Kom (2014) where he played Priyanka Chopra onscreen husband. But since then, he has only done a handful of films and that too, mostly supporting parts. “After Mary Kom, I got similar roles of husband, boy-next-door etc. Peo
After Mary Kom, I got similar roles of husband, boy-next-door etc. People here (in Bollywood) tend to classify you into characters. DARSHAN KUMAR,
ple here (in Bollywood) tend to classify you into certain characters,” he says, adding that even after Aashram, he has been offered “cop characters in at least 50 films”.
Kumar says for the last 14 years that he has been doing theatre under actor Naseeruddin Shah, there’s one thing he has learnt from him. “One needs to have patience. Even when I did TV, I did good shows like Baba Aiso Varr Dhoondo and Mahadev. Same goes for OTT. I’ve always been choosy. So, when lead roles don’t come your way, you get disappointed, but you don’t lose hope and work harder everyday and keep proving yourself for Aashrams and Avrodhs to happen to you,” he says, admitting that Bollywood is a “tough nut to crack, more so for outsiders”.
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