Darshan Kumar: ‘I am all for the Kashmiri pandits who were thrown out of their own state’

Actor Darshan Kumar shares his experience of  playing the lead role in ‘The Kashmir File’, his struggle in the entertainment industry and how Mumbai can be a difficult city for newcomers. He recalls those days when he used to meet all the A-list directors to get a role and even if they wanted to cast him, the producers never agreed because he was not a star. Excerpts:

On playing the role of Krishna in ‘The Kashmir Files’.

I had put my heart and soul into this role and now it is touching the hearts of the audience and the kind of response the film is getting, I am totally touched. Right from the first time when I read the script, I was very excited and nervous at the same time. It is a brutally honest film based on a true event so I thought I was pressured from within me to give my best. I had lost around ten kgs in twenty days because I am playing the role of a college kid and I had to look that age. Rest I had to watch all the videos which were available in the public domain with different narratives because I played the role of a confused student. I watched all the narratives from the student’s and professors’ points of view and tried to find out what happened in the universities. I gathered true narratives from the real victims.  But honestly, I was always in a dilemma as to who is right and who is wrong. But I am all for the Kashmiri pandits fighting for justice and who were thrown out of their state.  Sadly, nobody was trusting them. I watched all the videos where the Kashmiri pandits spoke about their pain and frustrations which has been building up for years.

How is the response to your performance in ‘The Kashmir Files’ different compared to your other films?

 This film is completely different as I play the lead role of Krishna Pandit. The audiences are also thinking of themselves to be Krishna Pandit and that’s how the film starts. When your film crosses two hundred crores where you are playing the lead role, that makes you feel that I have finally arrived. I remember I used to meet a lot of A-list directors in the past and they wanted to cast me in lead roles, but the producers never wanted me. But now things are changing and Kashmir Files has opened doors for me as an actor and hopefully, I will now get the kind of roles that I want to do.

What kind of fitness routine did you have to go through for weight loss?

I was doing cardio for two hours in the morning and one and half hours in the evening. I just stopped eating carbohydrates. I used to take a very small portion of carbs in the morning. I was eating lots of salads and thirty grams of protein in each meal.

You have done a twenty-five minutes monologue in one take; how did you manage to do that?

The thirteen-page monologue was the most challenging and important scene for me as an actor. Right from the first day when I read the script, I was very excited about it. The monologue is beautifully written. It has a lot of historical references, so I wanted to convince myself before convincing the audience.  Since it was a lengthy scene, Vivek said that he will shoot it in two days. But I didn’t want to break the flow. And I am glad that I could deliver the monologue in one take.

How did you get the role?

First of all, I want to thank Vivek and Pallavi for trusting in me and considering me to be a part of this honest film. I got a call from the casting director, Tarun Bajaj and he mentioned that they wanted to cast me as a lead in ‘The Kashmir Files’. When I met Vivek Agnihotri and Pallavi Joshi, they showed me the video of Krishna pandit whose character I am portraying. We have changed the name of the person. But when I heard his story about his life, I was completely shaken. Later I was shown some heart-wrenching videos of 700 families. They handed me the script and without a second thought, I said ‘yes’.

When you were signed in for The Kashmir Files, were you sure that it was going to be such a big success?

When I read the script then only, I knew that people are going to love it because it is an honest film. Nowadays the audience wants good and honest content which is close to life. And ‘The Kashmir Files’ is all about that. Now it has turned out to be a people’s film because they are promoting and supporting the film.

How was your journey as an actor in the entertainment industry?

It was an absolute roller-coaster ride. Best part was that whichever character I played in the films and shows, I was loved by all. But somehow, I was always given small roles. My journey was full of struggles. There were days I used to survive on one packet of Parle-G biscuit and walked for ten kilometers. I couldn’t even afford the bus fare. I have never shared this before, but one evening I had gone for an audition and I got late there and I was wearing formal outfit. I had just one pair of formal shoes and on my way back the heel of the shoe came out. So, I had to take off my shoes and walk back home bare footed. There were many nights when I slept hungry and I didn’t even have a morsel of food in my house. I used to go to gurudwaras so that I can get some food to eat.

Now, I am getting appreciation and people are accepting me. Mumbai has been a very difficult city for me as the rents are high and everything out here is expensive. As an actor, I had to really work hard on my craft. We have to eat healthy food and do exercise to look good and I didn’t have the luxury of money to do all these things. But now I can afford a gym membership, eat good food which was like dream for me once. I am truly living my dream now!

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