Not long ago, filmmaker Jitendra Kumar opened up about his journey from considering the JEE at Kota, Rajasthan, to finding a place in Bollywood. Speaking on Audible's 'The Longest Interview' podcast with host Vaibhav Munjal, Jitendra narrated how this love for cinema naturally happened in Kota.
He reminisces, “My interest in films developed when I was in Kota. I studied for 20 days and spent the entire night in the cyber cafe with the shutter down. This is when I found a website that had films from 1958 to 2008. So, at IIT, I watched all kinds of Bollywood films.”
While speaking on influential films in Indian cinema, the 'Panchayat-Kota Factory' fame Jitendra said, "Movies like 'Sholay', 'Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge,' 'Satya', and 'Gangs of Wasseypur' have revamped every decade of Indian cinema. The situation of the Indian film has changed a lot after 'Sholay'.".
He explained more, adding, "…'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge' started the earnestness of romance; 'Satya' pushed the obvious reality on the surface and opened all doors for new talent. 'Gangs of Wasseypur' introduced a new genre and narrative style, leaving a mark."
“The release of ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’ marked the beginning of the romance era. The film ‘Satya’ led to the creation of more realistic content, after which new talent started emerging, and ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ hit it home with its content and a new genre of filmmaking,” Jitendra said.
Apart from films, Jitendra also mentioned his interest in cricket and shared, "My favorite cricketers like Dravid, Kumble, Khan, Vettori, Gayle, Kohli, AB De Villiers were part of RCB, hence it turned out to be the most exciting team for me."
Jitendra also opened up about his love for cricket, saying, “All my favourite cricketers from the time — Dravid, Kumble, Khan, Vettori, Gayle, Kohli, AB De Villiers — were part of the RCB team, and I enjoyed watching their game. This is why I found that team the most exciting.”
The third season of 'Kota Factory,' helmed by Pratish Mehta and produced by TVF Productions—Raghav Subbu overseeing, features, in its lineup, Tillotama Shome, Mayur More, Ranjan Raj, Alam Khan, Revathi Pillai, Ahsaas Channa, and Rajesh Kumar, all now streaming on Netflix.
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