Jitendra Kumar: From self-doubt to Bollywood

No matter how strong our exteriors seem, all of us have gone through phases of self-doubt and insecurities. Our thought process during these phases determines our future. If we succumb to these insecurities, we might never get out of the vicious cycle of demotivating ourselves. However, if we are able to pull ourselves out of these phases, we might eventually land on the doorstep of success. If you find yourself in such a situation right now, then know that you are at the right place now. We at Failure Before Success, bring to you, stories about people who inspire us to keep hustling in life. Read ahead to know about actor Jitendra Kumar, popularly known as Jeetu Bhaiya on TVF’s Kota Factory.

After two years of hardwork, he landed at IIT Kharagpur to study Civil Engineering. He was interested in studying aeronautical engineering but he failed to make a cut for it. Jitendra decided to settle with civil but without any interest and did not concentrate much on his studies thereafter.

Jitendra joined the drama society of his college and did some plays but he never considered acting as a career option. It was just a side hobby, though he loved doing theater. However, he did not have many plans about his future either.

First major setback

After his fourth year, he failed to get placed with any company while all his peers had jobs. It must have been a depressing period for him as he couldn’t land a job from probably the most reputed college of India. One of Jitendra’s seniors, now famous writer, Biswapati Sarkar, advised him to move to Bombay with him to act in a few sketches of the then-newly founded start-up TVF.

Jitendra Kumar moved to Mumbai and did a few videos with them but he did not feel like he was doing anything. The team at TVF weren’t very enthusiastic about him either. After three months, Jeetu gave into his doubts and gave up acting for good. He took up a job after facing some pressure from his family at Hoskote, a small town near Bengaluru.

Second major setback

To say that he almost felt like he fell into a black hole after taking up the job, would be an understatement. He had no social life there, the work that he was doing wasn’t something that he was passionate about and his Japanese bosses weren’t friendly either. The stress kept building up until one day he couldn’t take it anymore and abruptly left the job.

Jitendra realized that he only knew and loved one thing and it was acting.

His family did not favour his decision of moving back to Mumbai for acting. Moreover, he was rejected from the National School of Drama. But Jitendra Kumar did not give up. The team at TVF were also coming up with a few new ideas and were expecting him to be a part of them. Eventually, Jitendra succeeded in convincing his parents about his decision.

Bounce back

But he did not ask his family for any funds. Instead, Jitendra taught Physics at a JEE coaching institute in Bombay for a stable salary. The rest of his time was devoted to acting. Finally, after a long period of confusion and self-doubt, he felt at ease with his life: around physics and acting.

His debut web series Pitchers was a hit among youngsters. Instant fame gave a boost to his self confidence which had fallen earlier. The rest is history. He has already set his foot in Bollywood and we’re sure that his mark will last long; this is just the beginning after all.

So never let yourself stop if you experience a setback. In Jeetu Bhaiyya’s words,

” You must continue to move if you wish to grow.”

Jeetu bhaiYA, Tvf’s kota factory