There is something about Darshan Kumar that invests himself completely in every role. It is a trait that reflects the fluidity that he brings to each character on screen – be it in web series like The Family Man, Ashram and Avradoh: The Siege With Mary Kom, NH10 and the recently released In movies like Storm.
Diversity and versatility have been a mainstay in this actor’s career spanning theatre, television, film and web series. In Toofan, he plays Dharmesh Patil, a boxer turned judge who is hungry for revenge. The special appearance by the actor certainly leaves an impact.
For his role as a boxer, Kumar was coached by Hollywood star Will Smith’s coach Darrell Foster, which the actor describes as one of the most amazing experiences of his career, “Boxing is a demanding sport. is. It was challenging to get into the character. I remember that in our first meeting, Darrell said that he would teach me how to take a punch and not a fake punch. He said that he will not train me for a film, but he will train me like a real pro boxer.”
The actor says that he trained with the real boxers of our country, “They were all state and national level champions. They didn’t know how to act so they were hitting us like a punching bag. We used to train daily from 7 am to 3 pm. After completing that training I would go to the gym and practice alone for a few hours. I have always been hurt and beaten. I have really given my blood and sweat for the film. The storm gave me sleepless nights.”
Recalling a scene where Farhan had to hit an uppercut on his face, the actor shared, “Darrell sir wanted to show real boxing. That shot was taken five to six times from different angles. I felt really amazed. He says na ki din main taare dekh liye,” the actor said with a laugh, “I literally couldn’t open my mouth for almost a week and was on a liquid diet. Farhan was feeling sorry but I was completely fine as I knew the pain would disappear in a few days but the acting would be remembered for a lifetime. It was a treat to work with Farhan.”
His last release was the second season of The Family Man in which the actor plays an ISI agent. The actor is receiving as much love and hate for playing the role of Major Sameer, the man behind two well-planned attacks on Indian soil. “I remember a kid writing to me on social media – ‘India ki rukh dekha toh cheer denge. I still get a lot of hate mails and messages. They think I’m actually a Pakistani agent. Taking trolling in a positive way and as a compliment as it shows that all the hard work has paid off. We are all happy with the kind of love the fans have shown for the show.”
From starting his career with cameos in films like Mujhe Kuch Kehna Hai and Tere Naam to playing the lead role opposite Priyanka Chopra Jonas in Mary Kom, Kumar says he has had an interesting journey so far, “I have Has been part of the ups and downs. It has been a roller-coaster ride. The beginning was really tough. I used to survive on biscuits for many days as I did not have money to buy proper food. I was getting such small, hero’s friend roles but I was clear that I wanted to do something better.”
To hone his craft, the actor decided to join theatre, “I continued theater by joining the group of Neena Gupta and Rajendra Gupta and I performed very well with them. I, later, joined Naseeruddin Shah’s group, which was like a dream as I always wanted to work with him. Eventually, I got Mary Kom and NH 10 when Parag Mehta and Shruti Mahajan saw a performance of mine at Prithvi Theatre.”
But the struggle did not end there. Despite getting a lot of auditions, the actor faced rejection, “My struggle made me think a lot. I have always believed in doing quality work. I wanted to prove myself because there is no substitute for hard work. I know that if people like me, it will definitely turn into work. Today, I am in a position where the industry is liking my work and I am offered good projects which is really satisfying for me.”
Kumar, who has worked in several web series believes that OTT has opened many doors for artistes as well as technicians, “People are watching and loving all the global content. The OTT platform has opened a new horizon for not only actors but also directors, producers, writers, technicians, everyone. It is celebrating talent. Viewers are exposed to international content and this has raised the bar for our content as well. It’s a very good and exciting time for the artists.”
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