Jisshu Sengupta, known for his roles in films and series like ‘Barfi’, ‘Piku’, ‘Shakuntala Devi’ and the web series ‘Trial Season 2’, has come a long way from humble beginnings. His journey has been full of both struggles and life lessons.
Jisshu Sengupta grew up in a struggling theatre family
Jisshu comes from a humble background, his family faced severe financial struggles. There were times when they had no food and no electricity. In an interview with Screen, he shared, “There were times we didn’t have money for food, there was no electricity at home for six months because my father couldn’t pay the bill. My mother actually taught us what a candlelight dinner is all about. But we were very happy, it was a nice life, we didn’t have money, but life was beautiful.”
Early work helped support his family needs
Jisshu never initially wanted to be an actor. At 18, he played cricket and drummed in the evenings to earn pocket money. Everything changed when he auditioned for the TV show ‘Mahaprabhu’. He recalled that at 18, he was almost in tears during the audition and had wanted to leave, as he couldn’t speak a single line. The team simply took some profile pictures, and he went back home. Since there was no telephone at his house, they called his neighbour after seven days to ask him to come and collect the script.
Jisshu Sengupta used to get Rs 250 per day for his TV show
The show paid him Rs 250 per day. Jisshu said, “I used to get Rs 250 per day, and I cannot tell you how huge that money was for me. But because it was a daily soap, I had to give up cricket and drumming; luckily, the show became a superhit and I became the first superstar on TV in Bengal. That time, I was a hero of four daily soaps; I would work for 72 hours continuously.” ‘Mahaprabhu’ made Jisshu a sensation. He featured on magazine covers and was called the Hrithik Roshan of Kolkata. He also improved his family’s living conditions. Recalling his mother’s struggles, he said, “I have seen them go through a lot, I have seen them crying. I saw my mom cry because there was no food at home. When I would come back home and ask for food, she would cry. Because of those times, I feel she was here now to see all of this.”
How did Jisshu Sengupta enter films?
Sengupta recalled that he was labelled an unlucky actor and struggled to get work. Even the biggest producers would tell him that he was over-exposed on TV. He remembered being offered the film ‘Sathi’, but the producer had said that he wouldn’t work because of his TV exposure.For almost a decade, he worked in minor roles, low-budget films, or guest appearances. He said, “After I said no to TV shows, I was sitting at home for 6 months, I had no work. I started as the fourth lead because the money was going down. Any hero role I got was in C-grade films that were released on Friday and were out on Saturday. For almost 8-10 years, I was labelled unlucky, and the biggest hit had me in a guest appearance.”
Jisshu Sengupta’s career took off
Sengupta’s career took a turn in 2008 when he met director Rituparno Ghosh. This partnership led to critically acclaimed performances and gave him credibility as an actor. Today, Jisshu is a celebrated name in Bengali cinema and has also worked in Bollywood films. Jisshu Sengupta recently starred opposite Kajol in the web series ‘Trial Season 2’.
