Exclusive: Jitendra Kumar On "Removed" Panchayat 4 Kissing Scene

Jitendra Kumar AKA Sachivji has finally confessed his love to Rinki (Sanvikaa) in the fourth instalment of the Amazon Prime original Panchayat. But their "pending" kiss has grabbed the headlines. In an exclusive interview with NDTV, Jitendra Kumar talks about what went behind the scene, his take on the mixed reception of the fourth season and how he came on board as "beloved" Sachivji. 

The Kissing Scene 

In a recent interview, Sanvikaa revealed that she refused to kiss Jiendra Kumar on screen as she felt the family audience of Panchayat might not take it in the right spirit.

NDTV asks Jitendra Kumar if he was consulted before the scene. Jitendra says, "I think Sanvikaa's comment was taken out of context. When the scene was proposed to me first, I told the makers to ask Sanvikaa first. Her consent was essential. We wanted to make the scene awkwardly funny. They are going to kiss and the light goes off - something on this note. Later, we shot it differently."

"I kissed Ayushmann Khurrana in Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan. I had kissed actresses on screen earlier. As an actor, I don't have reservations about an on-screen kiss. But, whether it's a kissing scene or any other acitivity, it has to support the script. Kahani mein maza aana chahiye, audience se connect karna chahiye," Jitendra Kumar tells us.  

On The "Mixed" Reception To Panchayat 4 

From Season 3 onwards, there has been a shift in tonality of the storytelling in Panchayat. The series, which came as a breath of fresh air in the stifling ambience of the pandemic (the first season released in April 2020), deviated from the path of innocence, according to critics and a large section of the Internet.

When we ask Jitendra Kumar if he's aware of the mixed responses Season 4 is getting, Jitendra tells NDTV, "I had full conviction in the script. I felt it was going towards the right direction. When I saw the end-product on screen, I felt our hard work paid off."

"Yes, there are mixed reactions. I don't know why. But I feel the audience has given the final verdict. I was a bit tense when the first two-three reviews came out. But when the audience showered their love on us, I felt we were right," Jitendra Kumar tells NDTV.

How Jitendra Kumar Became Sachivji

Jitendra Kumar takes us back to how Panchayat came to life - from script to the screen.

"It's an old story. Back then, I had already done shows like Permanent Roommates, TVF Pitchers, Kota Factory with TVF [The Viral Factory, the production company which produced Panchayat]. We used to discuss ideas. I was always a part of the process. We wanted to make something around village. Our reference point was Malgudi Days. We wanted to recreate the nostalgia of the show. Then we thought the show could revolve around a village panchayat. Because, panchayat is a place where you can talk about school, anganwadi workers... everyone," a nostalgic Jitendra Kumar recalls.

But there was a roadblock. TVF had built an urban fanbase through their shows. If a show was out-and-out based in a village, would the urban audience get distanced?

"Then Sachivji's character came to our mind. A character from outside the village would come in, and the story would be narrated from his perspective. The whole team unanimously chose me as Sachivji, and the rest is history," Jitendra tells us. 

When we ask him to choose between Jeetu Bhaiya (Kota Factory) and Sachivji, the answer is obvious. But the reason was not, "Both are close to my heart. Unnis-bees ka fark hai. But Sachivji is closer as I can get a tour of a village. That opportunity doesn't come often," signs off Jitendra Kumar.

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