Jitendra Kumar, the actor currently seen as Bablu Pandit in Mirzapur: The Movie, once walked away from a high-paying corporate job after graduating from IIT Kharagpur. Today, the same actor is part of a film that has crossed ₹270 crore worldwide. His journey from a small town in Rajasthan to becoming one of India’s most recognisable OTT stars is a story of risks, failures, and a viral video that changed everything.
From Khairthal to IIT Kharagpur
Jitendra Kumar grew up in Khairthal, a small town in Rajasthan. His academic performance was strong enough that his parents sent him to Kota for IIT coaching. He cleared the entrance exam and joined IIT Kharagpur for a degree in civil engineering.
The acting bug bit him during his college years. He became actively involved in theatre and served as the Governor of the Hindi Technology Dramatics Society at IIT Kharagpur. It was there that he met Biswapati Sarkar, a senior who later became an Executive Creative Director and writer at The Viral Fever (TVF). Sarkar recognised Jitendra’s acting talent and invited him to join TVF in 2012.
Leaving Mumbai After Early Failure
Right after college, Jitendra Kumar moved to Mumbai and shot his first short-form video with TVF. In a conversation with IVM Pop, he shared that the video did not even reach 10,000 views on YouTube. He also worked as an assistant director during this period.
When his second video also failed to get attention, Jitendra decided to leave Mumbai. He got a job in Bengaluru through a friend and worked there for nine months. The corporate job felt joyless, but everything changed when Biswapati Sarkar called to inform him that his second video had gone viral. That video was Munna Jazbaati: The Q-tiya Intern, which crossed 3 million views and became his early breakthrough in 2013.
The unexpected success pushed Jitendra Kumar to leave his high-paying job and return to acting full-time.
The TVF Years and Becoming Jeetu Bhaiya
Back in Mumbai, Jitendra Kumar starred in several popular TVF videos and sketches, including Tech Conversations With Dad, A Day With, and TVF Bachelors. He became known for playing relatable, slightly confused, everyday Indian characters.
In 2014, he moved from short YouTube sketches to longer-form digital storytelling with TVF’s Permanent Roommates, playing Prathik. The show is considered one of India’s first major web series and arrived well before mainstream OTT platforms took over the market.
His name soon became synonymous with his character Jitendra “Jeetu” Maheshwari in TVF’s Pitchers, which premiered in 2015. The character became hugely popular and cemented his association with the name Jeetu. This was followed by the success of Kota Factory, where he played Jeetu Bhaiya, one of his most iconic roles.
Panchayat and OTT Stardom
In 2020, Jitendra Kumar began playing Abhishek Tripathi, popularly known as Sachiv Ji, in Panchayat. Released during the Covid-19 lockdown, the series became a massive hit with audiences and developed a loyal fan base. The Prime Video show turned Jitendra into a household name. The show has completed four seasons so far.
The series earned him Filmfare OTT Awards for Best Actor – Comedy Series and Best Actor Critics – Comedy Series.
Stepping Into Vikrant Massey’s Shoes for Mirzapur The Movie
Mirzapur: The Movie brought the popular Prime Video series to the big screen. The film is directed by Gurmmeet Singh and created by Puneet Krishna, with Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar producing under Excel Entertainment.
The biggest casting change in the franchise was Jitendra Kumar taking over the role of Bablu Pandit from Vikrant Massey, who played the character in Season 1 of the series. Director Gurmmeet Singh explained that recasting was part of taking the story in a different direction. In an interview with Zoom, he said:
“Creative process ki best cheez yeh hoti hai ki voh hume kabhi baandhe na. Ummeed hoti hai ki sab cheez same rahe, lekin voh nahi ho sakti. That should not bother anyone. Jab humne decide kiya ki Bablu ko re-cast karna hai, hum film ko ek naye tarike se approach kar rahe the. Iski vajah se humare liye naye doors open ho gaye.”
He also noted that the Bablu seen in the film has more to do than the character audiences met in Season 1. “Season 1 mein Bablu ka koi agenda nahi tha, apni personal agency nahi thi. Film mein hum dikha paye ki Bablu ke ambitions hain, plan hain, uski apni ek soch hain,” he added.
Shweta Tripathi, who plays Golu Gupta in the franchise, defended Jitendra’s casting and praised his performance. She told NDTV:
“What Jeetu has done is not easy. On Mirzapur, we are a family. We could be intimidating, we all have been together for nine years. But he made a full Bablu-type entry. We didn’t come to know how he managed to pull it off.”
She added that he has done “full justice to a different version of Bablu and not taken away anything from Vikrant Massey“.
Mirzapur The Movie Box Office Success
Mirzapur: The Movie released in cinemas on September 4, 2026, in Hindi and Telugu. The film opened with ₹25.75 crore on its first day and went on to collect ₹32 crore on Day 2 and ₹36 crore on Day 3.
As of September 15, 2026, the film’s worldwide gross collection stands at ₹273.64 crore, according to Sacnilk. The film has surpassed Akshay Kumar’s Bhooth Bangla to become the fourth-highest-grossing Hindi film of 2026. Jitendra Kumar reportedly charged ₹1.5 crore for his role in the film.
The film also stars Pankaj Tripathi as Kaleen Bhaiya, Ali Fazal as Guddu Pandit, Divyenndu as Munna Tripathi, and Ravi Kishan as Babban Babua.
Related:
Panchayat Season 5 Is Coming
Fans of Jitendra Kumar will not have to wait long to see him back as Sachiv Ji. Panchayat Season 5 is currently in the editing stage, and director Deepak Kumar Mishra has revealed that the new season could premiere around October or November 2026.
Mishra also confirmed that Season 5 will not be the final season of the show. When asked if the upcoming season would mark the end, he said: “No, it’s nothing like that”. The new season will explore life in Phulera after Pradhan Ji’s election defeat and how each character moves forward.
The upcoming season is expected to bring back the show’s main cast, including Jitendra Kumar, Neena Gupta, Raghubir Yadav, Faisal Malik, and Chandan Roy.
Stay tuned to VvipTimes for more updates on your favourite stars and their upcoming projects.
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