Before the release of ‘Panchayat 3,’ there were rumours suggesting that Jitendra Kumar, known for his role as Abhishek Tripathi in the show, had left due to a disagreement with the production house, The Viral Fever (TVF). However, fans were pleasantly surprised and extremely happy to see him return to reprise his role in the series.
Now, in a conversation with India Today, the actor addressed these past speculations regarding his alleged fallout with the makers and long-time collaborators.
“There was a lot of panic and I could see that all over social media. The last season ended on Abhishek’s transfer and that also spurred the buzz further. There was a misunderstanding, and honestly, main bhi pareshan ho jata tha (I would get troubled) answering the same questions. At one point, I was like aur mat poochon, bandh karo yeh (don’t ask about it, end it now),” the actor stated, with a big laugh.
The actor mentioned that since he knew the reports were false and was already gearing up for the release of the new season, it didn’t greatly impact him. “Given I have had a long association with TVF, people were worried about what went wrong. I understood it’s their love and we just waited for the first trailer to end all speculations.” For those unversed, his character gets a transfer from the village where the show is based at the end of season 2, which fuelled rumours of his absence in season 3.
Starring Jitendra in a lead role, ‘Panchayat 3’ also stars Neena Gupta, Raghubir Yadav, Faisal Malik, Chandan Roy, Sanvikaa, among others. The TVF series is set in the fictional village of Phulera and cleverly tackles socio-political issues with a touch of light humour. It unfolds through the perspective of Jitendra’s character, who portrays the secretary to the chief on the show.
‘Panchayat 3’ released on May 28 and is now available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
