2024-07-30 22:31:10
Pankaj Tripathi has no equal in acting. The way he plays his characters in films is praised a lot. Everyone is a fan of him. However, he has recently talked about his shortcomings, insecurities, game changer moment and the responsibility of being a father.
National Award winner Pankaj Tripathi’s training at the National School of Drama (NSD) made him a rich and accomplished actor, but ‘Mirzapur’ proved to be a game changer for his career. Pankaj, who has been involved in the acting world day and night for a long time, recently took a break from acting for some time. Pankaj, who is in the news these days for season 3 of ‘Mirzapur’, will soon be seen in Hollywood films like ‘Metro… In Dinon’, ‘Lahore 1947’, ‘Thug Life’ and ‘Afghan Dreams’. A conversation with him. There is no doubt that people liked Kaleen Bhaiya of ‘Mirzapur’ a lot. Analyzing the popularity of his character, he says, ‘Earlier even I did not understand how this character became so popular. Even now I try to understand it. But I think that the way a traditional villain is viewed, that he must be a dangerous don, Kaleen Bhaiya was not like that. Generally, soft-spoken, soft-spoken dons were not made. There was a sweetness in them. This character is from Purvanchal. There was a satire in this character as well. Then the world of Mirzapur was created in such a way that that world also attracted people.
He was acting as Kharag Singh on the sets of ‘Stree’
For the past few years, Pankaj Tripathi has been continuously dominating films and OTT. He has played all kinds of characters in both mediums. When we wanted to know from him that while doing so many roles, did the line between personal and professional life ever get blurred? So he said, ‘It has been happening with me for the last few years that the line between personal and professional line had blurred, this was the reason why I took a leave recently. I decided that I will sit at home and write something. I felt that I am acting like Atal on the set of ‘Stree’ and doing something like ‘Khadg Singh’ on the set of Atal. For the last 20 days I was sitting at home. I am educated, my sister was ill so I was spending time with her. But before that I felt that the speed at which I was moving was very fast. When you are moving very fast, you have to give a day or two to understand that speed. It is not immediately understood at what speed your life is moving forward. In two weeks I realized how busy I was.
I don’t see my flaws
For the last three seasons, the audience has been seeing the grey side of Kaleen Bhaiya of Mirzapur. Pankaj, while describing his grey side, says, ‘Look, I am a human being, so I must have flaws, but when we sit down to find them, we find very few flaws in ourselves. If I count my flaws, then I am a little lazy and a little antisocial too. I rarely go to film gatherings and parties. These are the flaws I see, but according to me these are not any deep flaws. I feel that I am a man from Satya Yug, who has come to Kali Yug. This is my own thinking. Well, there must be flaws in me, but I don’t see them.’
If I count my shortcomings, I am a little lazy and a little antisocial too
Pankaj Tripathi, Actor
First Newton and then Mirzapur were game changers
About the game changer moment of his career, he says, ‘Acting itself is a game changer for me. It is a joyous job. My journey has been amazing. The village of Belsand in Gopalganj from where I come is a game changer. Just imagine that I am sleeping in the hostel during the day and I am woken up and asked if I can do comedy? And then in a few hours, I wake up from sleep, sit in an auto and reach a film set, where I not only get a chance to act but also get paid, so that too was a game changer. By the way, in my work, first ‘Newton’ and then ‘Mirzapur’ have been game changers for me.’
For me, acting is a game changer. In my work, first ‘Newton’ and then ‘Mirzapur’ have been game changers for me.
Pankaj Tripathi, Actor
The one who cries without tears and sound is a father
Pankaj is very close to his daughter Ashi. He says that after becoming a father, he learns from his daughter. But about his feeling of becoming a father, he says, ‘Men realize after one year of becoming a father that they have become a father. I have been a father for years, so I can tell you on the basis of my experience that after one year of having children, a father realizes that he is a father. At first, one does not understand that something has changed. Then after one year, one feels that many things in life start changing and then suddenly your perspective towards your parents changes. The meaning of being a father is not what one has read in literature. After one or two years of becoming a father, you are able to understand your father properly. There is a poem by Paritosh Tripathi, ‘The one who cries without tears and sound is a father.’
At this age, there is a risk of losing a loved one
Pankaj believes that a positive outlook on life does not let even difficult times remain difficult. He says, ‘Whenever a door closed for me, I could see a drawer in the middle of it indicating some possibility of entering it. Till now I have not made a three feet long wooden log, I have made it by joining two-three wooden logs. This is the reason why I have not considered any phase of my career difficult. Difficult is your state of mind. You change it, if you cannot change it, then change your contact. Everything will be fine. Yes, now that I have reached mid-age, I feel a little insecure about losing someone close to me. Otherwise life has never been difficult for me.’