Actor Jitendra Kumar believes small town stories in cinema are popular these days as they resonate strongly with the audiences.
After his feature debut in Ayushmann Khurrana-starrer Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan (2019), Jitendra was seen in Amazon Prime Video series Panchayat.
The actor now stars in Chaman Bahaar, a Netflix film from debutant filmmaker Apurva Dhar Badgaiyann. Jitendra said as an artiste, his priority is to stay close to reality while portraying his characters.
"As an artist, when I take up anything, my priority is to make it as authentic as possible for my viewers. Be it a boy from a small town or a big city, every character I play, I want to connect with the audience. "I invest good time in preparation for my character before the shoot begins. Mannerism, body language, thought process, how a certain person would present himself. I like to learn the nuances which fill in the gaps of me and the character," Kumar said in a statement.
Chaman Bahaar is a slice-of-life tale about Billu (Kumar), a paan shop owner, who is smitten with a young girl, living across the street but is unable to strike a conversation let alone profess his love.
"Every actor wants to be part of stories which have maximum connect with the audience. Small town stories and the characters coming out of it have a very strong relatability factor with the masses. It is not restricted to just the metros.
"Also, when we play such characters, it acts as a bridge between different cultures which is a very interesting experience," Jitendra said.
The actor described Chaman Bahaaar as an "entertaining love story" that throws light on "different shades of love"
"It's a story which will leave a smile on your face. For me, it has been such a fun experience to play this character in the film," he added.
The movie has seen positive reviews from the critics since its debut on Netflix on Friday. "I am grateful to everyone for liking my performance. I have always believed and stressed on the importance of being relatable as a character.
"Billu as a character is very close to my heart and I can’t express enough joy that get when I see that he has been loved by so many people," he added.
