The excitement around Panchayat 3 is running high since its release, with rumours swirling that Jitendra Kumar was the highest paid actor among the castmates this time, taking home ₹70,000 per episode. Now, the actor has reacted to the buzz, saying it is really unfair to discuss someone’s salary. (Also read: Panchayat 3 review: Jitendra Kumar’s show soars high on emotions, surprises with supporting cast)
Recently, a report stated that Jitendra earned ₹5.6 lakh from the third season of Panchayat. It claimed that he was the highest-paid actor, followed by actor Neena Gupta, who earned ₹50,000 per episode.
Jitendra reacts
And the actor, who is seen in the role of Abhishek Tripathi in the popular series, is not amused about the reports. Without confirming or denying the rumours, he slammed the trend of discussion around one’s remuneration.
“Well, I think discussing somebody’s salary and financial matters is really unfair,” Jitendra says.
The actor asserts, “Nothing good comes out of the discussion, and it’s not even fruitful. So, I think one should avoid falling for any such rumours, they should not be a thing”.
On Panchayat success
Created by The Viral Fever, the Amazon Prime Video show, directed by Deepak Kumar Mishra, and written by Chandan Kumar, has been a huge success since the start. Now, the third reason, which was released in May, also got a positive response.
Jitendra, known for starring in projects such as TVF Pitchers, Kota Factory and Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan, credits the show for opening new doors for him in his career. That being said, he has consciously tried not to let success impact his personal life.
“As an actor, the show has changed a lot of things for me. But when it comes to my personal life, not much has changed. I have just intrigued minimal changes in my life to make it more comfortable,” the actor notes.
Explaining his thought, Jitendra continues, “As an actor, when your show becomes such a massive hit, and gets love from all quarters, it comes with more opportunities to better films, work on better scripts and work with interesting filmmakers”.
There is also a responsibility attached to it, as Jitendra, lovingly called by his character name Jitu bhaiya, mentions, “It becomes my responsibility to try to do the work in a more creative and interesting way to meet the expectation of my fans”.
“And that’s what my attempt is… That I add more and push myself more in my future projects to maintain the position,” says the actor.
On doing Panchayat 3
When it comes to the show, it revolves around the life of his character Abhishek, an engineering graduate who due to the lack of a better job opportunity, joins a panchayat office as a secretary in a remote village named Phulera in Uttar Pradesh. It puts focus on his journey of trying to fit in while highlighting the life and issues of village life.
“When I read the script for the third season, it seemed really interesting to me…. And it wasn’t like the makers were trying too hard to do something different. They are telling new stories and interesting situations in the same space. I was very excited about it… And revisited the character with more energy and without any pressure. In the end, what works is the good script, and we rely on that,” he shares.
The third season, also starring Durgesh, Raghubir Yadav and Faisal Malik, premiered on May 28.