One most lovable characteristic of Pankaj Tripathi is his simple dialogue delivery. Whether he is playing the role of an encouraging father in ‘Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl’ or a notorious don in ‘Ludo’, there is a down to earth trait that attracts the audience to his role.
Though Pankaj, who hails from Bihar, is
roping in back to back hits now, he had his own struggle in making his name in
the film industry. “I came into the industry in 2002 and in 2015, people
recognised me as an actor after ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’. It was a challenging
journey. I studied acting in theatre in Bihar and I am a graduate from the
National School of Drama (NSD). You have to do your study and self-assessment
before you start working in the film industry. NSD doesn’t help you in getting
roles but it trains you in performing roles. You will not get work but when you
do get work, you will do it well,” says Pankaj, who will be portraying the role
of former Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in his next biopic film,
which is scheduled for release in 2023.
The actor is often seen with a young and vibrant cast in the
films. “I am comfortable with any cast, whoever the director casts in the film.
Even I am young as I am just 47 years old. In ‘Mirzapur’, the actor who plays
my son is only 7 years younger than me. I enjoy the company of all my co
actors. In the web series, ‘Criminal Justice’, the actor who plays the role of
my wife, this was her first break. Even the actress in ‘Kaagaz’, this was her
first Hindi film. There are always new actors around me in the scenes in the
films. There is no criteria to act with me, whoever is talented gets casted in
the film and I go accordingly for the shoots. That’s where I forge my
friendships and great companionship,” says Pankaj who loves rooted stories,
whether it is rural and urban. His favouroite films include ‘Newton’ and
‘Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl’.
He considers late Irrfan Khan and Manoj Bajpai as his idols. “I
do acting and then I don’t know where the film is travelling or how many
screens it will be released in, when it come on OTT, how will the promotions be
held. I only know acting and nothing else about the movies and I don’t want to
know those details as well. I’m not interested,” adds Pankaj.
During the Covid pandemic, when the entire world was shut down,
Pankaj spent his time by going for walks and cooking. However, his films still
entertained the audience. “I had eight movies released during Covid. I was the
only Indian actor whose films were releasing at least in every two months.
These include ‘Ludo’, Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl, Kaagaz, Mimi, Bunty Aur
Babli 2 83 and the web series, Criminal Justice. Except for Bunty Aur Babli 2
and 83, all the films were released on OTT. My next films include ‘Oh My God 2’
and ‘Fukrey 3’.
What
does Pankaj enjoy besides acting? “I love farming. I have a small land near
Mumbai, besides the fields in Bihar. I have mangoes, chickoos, papayas,
turmeric, lemons, black pepper and jackfruit growing on this small piece of
land. I was a farmer before making an entry into films.” concludes Pankaj.