The third season of Panchayat is streaming now on Amazon Prime Video. The show is receiving praise from fans and critics alike yet again, and one of the high points, has been the support cast. Durgesh Kumar, who plays the ‘antagonist’ Bhushan on the show, has been praised and almost become a pop culture icon through his lines on the show. In an exclusive chat with DNA, the actor talks about the impact the show has had on him, and his reaction to the viral memes on his character.
In the second season, Bhushan and Binod, two supporting characters became a highlight of the show. Bhushan’s line ‘dekh raha hai Binod (are you watching, Binod) became a popular fodder for memes. Talking about the popularity of his line and people coming up to him to say it, Durgesh says, “I can’t tell you how many times it has happened but it has happened so much that I think it is no longer my dialogue. It belongs to the public now.”
The craze for that line is so much that Durgesh says fans don’t even wait for him to say it. “People don’t even come and want me to say the line. They say it to me,” he shares with a laugh.
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Durges also became a meme icon with the line and some other catchphrases from Panchayat, a tag the actor cherishes. “Whenever people see memes on that line, they send it to me on WhatsApp. I get 2-3 such messages every day. I feel very good that my work was appreciated so much,” says the actor.
Durgesh says he is thankful that the Indian OTT scene is seeing a resurgence of the comedy genre and slice-of-life stories, as it gives him more work. “We are getting work now, which is a big deal,” says Durgesh, adding, “Else, where would we fit? Nobody takes us in the maar-dhaad wale shows (action genre). At least with comedy, we get these chances so it feels very good. I did serious roles in Bhakshak and Laapataa Ladies. But since I got fame doing comedy, I will do four more roles in this genre.”
Panchayat season 3 stars Jitendra Kumar, Neena Gupta, Raghubir Yadav, Faisal Malik, Chandan Roy, and Sanvikaa, apart from Sunita Rajwar, and Pankaj Jha in supporting roles. The third season began streaming on Prime Video from May 28.
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