Pankaj Tripathi isn’t one to complain about a packed work schedule. It’s evident from the fact that in the last one-and-a-half year itself, he had as many as eight projects releasing one after the other. However, now, the actor confesses this tight shooting schedule has started to take a toll on him and he feels it’s time to take a pause and rest for a while.

“The packed shooting schedule becomes hectic. Personal life affect hone se zyada physical strain hota hai mujhe bahut. I feel physical rest has become important for me. Now, I feel ke thoda kam kaam karun, thodhi chuti rahe, so I’m trying to balance it,” Tripathi tells us.

And to ensure that, he’s trying to chalk out a plan. “Soch raha hoon next year se speed kam karun,” Tripathi says, though he’s still unsure how all that will fall into place.

Over the years, Tripathi, 44, has carved a permanent place for himself in showbiz. In fact, when the world was on a standstill in 2020, he kept going, with release of diverse projects, such as Mirzapur 2, Ludo, Extraction, Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl, Criminal Justice: Behind Closed Doors, through OTT, while in 2021 he had Kaagaz and Mimi.

Now, he has started shooting another series in Ladakh, and will then join the Fukrey gang for the third instalment.

“I’m not getting any break at the moment, usually I start shooting in a matter of three-four days,” says the actor, who’s awaiting the release of two films, including ’83.

What motivates him to push his limits is the love and appreciation he gets from the audience. “Recently, I met some officials from the Army and CISF in Ladakh, and the way they were treating and praising me left me emotional. I never thought that they’d know me,” says the actor, adding that he feels humbled by all the acclaim that is coming his way.

“All these years, I’ve only worked with honesty, with no gimmick. I never thought that I’d get so much love. Mujhe samajh nahi aata ke itni mohabbat kaise lautaunga. As an actor, I can only give back through my work, something which resonates with them,” avers Tripathi, who adds he’s honoured to get the Diversity in Cinema award at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM). In an actor’s career, every award comes with huge meaning and relevance, shares the actor.

“From diversity to cinema to an international platform, the award has so many things which makes it special. We always want our work to be watched and appreciated by all. And abhineta ko jitna bhi pyaar, saman aur paisa miley hamesha kum hi lagta hai,” he concludes.